Heart's Desire
by Wilting Rose 08
Summary: What if someone told you that there was a way to get all you ever wanted? Well, Harry has just that option when Dumbledore finds a way to send him back in time to save the ones he loves.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Everything you recognize is someone else's, mostly JKR's. Things you don't recognize are mine, though, even if there isn't much.

Author's Note: I just love time travel stories! As such, I just had to try writing one. So, I give to you...

**Heart's Desire**

Chapter 1

No particular point of view

It had been a cold, depressing day. Of course, what else could you expect on December 27? Harry pondered this as he sat in an open window at the top of North Tower. You couldn't really expect much else. It was winter, which was always cold, especially when it snowed, and Christmas had passed. Well, that was why it would be sad to most people, but Harry wasn't most people. While he had experienced the after-Christmas adrenaline let down, that wasn't the only reason. He was still depressed over what had happened in the Department of Mysteries six months before.

Yanking his mind back to the present and away from those particular unwanted memories, Harry smiled grimly. Hermione and Ron would kill him if they knew where he was right now. Actually, now that he thought about it, Neville, Luna, and Ginny would probably help. The six had grown a lot closer after the battle. They had been training together for the first half of the year. They had Transfiguration training, which had helped them become animagi. It turned out that you could have more than one form, it was just harder work to get more than one, and you had to be more powerful to have two than if you just had one. There came a point, no matter how hard you worked, that you just couldn't have any more forms, because your magical potential wouldn't allow it. You could choose to be a magical animal if you wanted. Ron had did that the first time, and decided it was too much work. Harry had tried it his second time, and found much the same thing, but decided it was worth it. Harry was currently working on his third form, while Hermione was working on her second. Ron had just finished his second. The other three had stopped with just one, for now, anyway. They had extra potions, to almost everyone's unhappiness, although Harry also had to continue Occlumency with Snape. They also had extra Defense Against the Dark Arts classes with Professor Lupin. Harry also had dueling lessons with Professor Dumbledore. He had really improved, he knew. At the beginning of the year, Dumbledore could beat him without any problem. Now, however, Harry could put up a much better fight, and could probably beat anyone else at Hogwarts. No, scratch that, could _definitely_ beat anyone else at Hogwarts.

Harry let out a soft sigh before turning to look at the almost full moon. Suddenly, he heard a noise behind him that almost made him fall out of the tallest tower at Hogwarts.

"Hello, Harry," Professor Dumbledore said when Harry had gotten fully balanced and turned around.

"Professor," Harry said, still recovering from the near fall.

"It's very peaceful up here, isn't it?" Dumbledore continued, ignoring the interruption. "I was hoping to find you here, as there was something I needed to tell you." He paused here.

"Professor?" Harry prodded after Dumbledore had paused for a good ten minutes.

"Ah yes. Harry, your parents weren't supposed to die," Dumbledore said simply. He had the sound of someone who was telling Harry that it was night, or that it was two days after Christmas.

"Really?" Harry asked excitedly.

"Yes. I was reading a book written in an ancient text that I recently learned the translation spell for. It was about correcting the misdeeds of the past. I performed a short spell that told if something was not supposed to happen as it did. The spell told me that Sirius was not supposed to go to Azkaban, and that your parents were not supposed to be killed by Voldemort that fateful night. There is a spell within the book that will let you go back in time to the point when things started to go wrong. I have no idea when, exactly that point will be. It could be when your parents made Pettigrew their secret keeper, or it could be around the time he became a Death Eater. I also don't know what was supposed to happen. It could very well end up being that James, Lily, or Sirius could die in the past fifteen years. My, that sounds odd, doesn't it? Another thing I need to tell you. You don't have to travel alone. You may ask the others if they would like to accompany you. I have no doubt that Mr. Longbottom will jump at the chance, seeing as it would give him his parents back as well. Now, I do believe its after curfew, so why don't you start back to Gryffindor Tower. I'll see you tomorrow after dinner for your decision." With that, Dumbledore turned and left the room. Harry stared after him for a moment before activating the map. He had absolutely no intention of going back to the Tower. That was, however, before he spotted Filch heading his direction. Harry swore under his breath before putting his invisibility cloak on and heading out of the tower.

When he finally made it back, Ginny was the only person still in the common room. "You know, you didn't have to wait up for me," Harry teased, settling down beside her.

"Course I did. 'Mione woulda killed me if I hadn't," Ginny said with utmost sincerity.

"Uh-huh," Harry said, clearly amused. "I'm going to bed now, so you can, too. Although, I do have to talk to all of you tomorrow morning. See you then!" With that, Harry went up the stairs to the boys' dormitory. Ginny, laughing, went to her dormitory as well.

The next morning, Harry awoke extraordinarily early. After not having any luck falling back to sleep, he decided to go to the Great Hall for breakfast. He met Ginny and Hermione in the common room.

"Ginny said there was something that you wanted to ask us," Hermione said as Harry entered the room.

"Yes, there is, but I want to talk to all of you, so it can wait a while. By the way, when did you and Ginny talk?" Harry said, heading towards the portrait hole.

"Ginny stopped by my room last night after you came in. You didn't think she was the only one waiting for you, did you?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, Hermione. Sleeping is also known as waiting," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

"I was _not_ sleeping!" Hermione said indignantly.

"Then could you please teach me how to snore convincingly while awake?" Ginny asked innocently.

"I do _not_ snore," Hermione said, throwing back her head.

"Yes, Hermione, you do," Ginny said in a tone that suggested she was speaking to a stubborn five-year-old. The pair continued this, um, conversation, almost the entire way to the Great Hall, where they were met by Luna.

"What are you arguing about?" she asked dreamily. If Harry didn't know that she sounded like that all of the time, he would have thought she was still asleep.

"They are discussing whether or not Hermione snores," Harry said, rolling his eyes. Luna nodded in understanding. At that moment, Ron and Neville came bounding down the stairs, landing practically on top of the group as Neville tripped and Ron fell over him.

"Well, now that we're all here, we can go into the Great Hall for some breakfast. After all, I've got something I need to tell you," Harry said as he helped Ron to his feet. Ginny had already helped Neville up.

"Well, what is it?" Hermione asked once they were all seated. Ron had instantly started filling his plate. That was all the encouragement that Harry needed to pour out all that had happened the night before.

"So," he finished. "Do any of you want to come?"

"I do," Neville said instantly. Ron nodded after thinking about it for a moment. Ginny looked thoughtful.

"I guess we've gotta go back," she said, motioning to herself, Hermione, and Luna. "Someone has to keep those three out of trouble."

"Sounds good to me," Luna said.

"I'll go," Hermione said. "Now, what all are we supposed to bring? How are we going to get there? When are we leaving? Who knows we're going? What-" Harry cut her off.

"Hermione, breath. In. Out. In. Out. Good. Now, we're supposed to bring everything we have here, because we don't know how long it will take. I don't know how we're going or when, exactly, we're leaving, just that I had to tell Dumbledore whether or not you're going by tonight. So far, I think only Dumbledore knows." Harry finished, looking somewhat amused.

"Alright, then lets go get ready!" Ron exclaimed, jumping up from the table, all thoughts of breakfast long forgotten. Harry couldn't help but laugh. They walked out of the Great Hall. When they reached the fifth floor, Luna broke off to go back to Ravenclaw Tower. They were going to meet after lunch. Harry was just glad it was a Saturday so they wouldn't have to stop for classes.

"Do you know how long we'll be there?" Ron asked as he tried to organize all of the stuff he still had to fit into his almost full trunk.

"Not really. It would have to be long enough for them to trust us. We can't exactly just go up to them and say 'don't ever trust Wormtail with anything life threatening.' They'd never believe us. Would you believe it if some group just showed up and told you never to trust me?" Harry pointed out.

"Yeah, but that's different. I know you'd never betray me," Ron said.

"Is it? I know I'd never betray you, too, but don't you think that the Marauders trust Wormtail like that, too? I mean, would you trust any one of us, meaning me, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Neville with your life?"

"Yeah, I would," Ron said, starting to see where this was going.

"So did they. We are going to have to get them to trust us like that. You've saw how much Sirius and Remus trusted each other. It's not like we can show up, tell them not to trust Wormtail, and leave. All that would come of it are some strange looks." By this time, it was almost lunchtime, and the boys had finished packing. Neville had finished an hour ago, and had left with Hermione and Ginny to walk around the lake. "Lets go. We've got to meet the others soon." With that, both boys left the room.

They walked as quickly as they could down to the Great Hall. On the fourth floor, they caught up with Luna.

"Hey, I don't guess you've seen the others, have you?" Ron asked. Luna just shook her head.

"About an hour ago, I saw them walking around the lake, but I haven't seen them since," she responded. The trio continued down the stairs, until they finally met up with the other three in their group right outside of the Great Hall.

"Do you want to eat in the kitchens?" Ginny suggested, spotting Ron, Harry, and Luna coming down the stairs. "We figured we could talk easier if we got food and took it to the Room of Requirement or something."

The three that had just finished packing nodded. They spent the rest of the day in the Room of Requirement. They didn't leave until after dinner, seeing as the house elves had packed more than enough lunch for them to have another meal with the left overs. After leaving, they went to talk to Dumbledore. It was only upon reaching the stone gargoyle that they realized that they didn't know the password. They started guessing every candy they could think of, but it wasn't until Hermione said 'Mars bars!' that the gargoyle moved. They reached the top of the stairs, and Ron reached up to knock on the door. Just before his hand hit the wood, they heard, "Come in!" from inside the office.

"I take it you all want to go, then?" Dumbledore asked, glancing up as the six filed into his office. Most were looking around interestedly. Of course, Dumbledore's office _was _an interesting place, and it _was_ the first time most of them had been there.

"Yes, sir," Harry said, sitting down in a chair in front of Dumbledore's desk. The rest quickly did the same, with Ron and Hermione on either side of Harry, and Ginny and Luna next to Ron, leaving Neville to sit next to Hermione.

"Ah, then, when would you like to leave?"

"As soon as possible," Hermione answered.

"Very well. If you want, you can leave later tonight. First, however, we must get some things straightened out. You _cannot_ tell them anything until they know you're from the future, and they _trust_ you. You also can't just _tell them_ you're from the future, they have to figure it out on their own. If the spell decides you've been too obvious, it will bring you back, and you won't get another chance. Now, do you have any questions?"

"Sir, what if you place a memory charm on everyone after we leave?" Ginny asked.

"I will not know you're from the future," Dumbledore explained. "To me, you will be transfer students, plain and simple. Do any of you have any ideas for a cover story?"

"We came up with one," Neville said hesitantly. "Well, actually, Hermione did." Hermione blushed, and motioned for Neville to continue. "We'll say we're from a village that is made up completely of muggleborns and half bloods, as well as their families. We've been very secluded, so as to stay safe from You-Know-Who. However, the security has been breached, and the children are being sent away for their own protection. Our parents decided to send us to Hogwarts, although most thought it would be safer to send their children to a small school in the US. We can't disclose the name of the village because of security, and we can't tell the name of the other school, because we don't know it."

"Very good," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "I particularly like the part about the names. That way, no one can find out your lying without a _lot_ of effort. Also, it's less to remember. Have you given any thought to your names?"

"I'm going as Neville Jones," Neville answered quickly.

"Ron and I are going as Ginny and Ron Welker," Ginny supplied.

"Hermione and I are posing as twins, and going by Harry and Felicia Granger. We figured her last name was common enough not to draw attention, and she wouldn't' be related to anyone," Harry explained.

"I'll be going as Laura Anderson," Luna said, staring at one of the silver objects on a nearby table.

"It seems you all have it pretty well covered," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "Are you ready to leave?"

"Just as soon as we get our trunks," Ron said. The group stood, and left the room. They hurried back to their respective dormitories. They shrunk their trunks and put them in their pockets. They quickly hurried back to Dumbledore's office, not finding it at all odd that they didn't meet anyone on the way.

"Alright, we're ready," Ginny said, as the last of the group entered.

"Oh good. If you don't mind, please follow me to just inside the Forbidden Forest. That is where you port-keyed to, if anyone asks. That also gives you a way to say you just arrived, instead of arriving in a flash of light." The teens nodded, and followed Dumbledore out of the castle.

"After this, you're on your own. Remember, we're not sure exactly what time you'll end up in, seeing as you're going back far enough to prevent what happens. Good luck." Dumbledore then pointed his wand at the group, and mumbled something they couldn't hear. Suddenly, in a flash of bright blue light, the group vanished.

Author's Note: Well, how did ya like it? I've got a question for you. Should I make it a fic where Dumbledore isn't completely a good guy? I don't want to say evil, because he wouldn't really be evil, but just not as nice as he's usually portrayed. Anyway, review! Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own next to nothing. I own the stuff you don't recognize.

Author's Note: I wasn't going to post another chapter, seeing that, as of some point yesterday, I had 18 hits and no reviews. Then, however, a lone reviewer put this story on their faves list, so I decided that, if it was worth that much effort for them, I could put out more chapters. So, this chapter, and more than likely the entire story, is dedicated to starchild9867. Anyway, without furthur delay, I present to you...

Heart's Desire

Chapter 2

James's point of view

We had been in the forest for about two hours when they appeared. They waltzed into the clearing from the north at the same time we came in from the south. They didn't notice us at first. I really think the only thing that held Moony off for so long was the shock of seeing them suddenly appear. He let out a howl. The six teens looked up, looking shocked. I, for one, was amazed. Shocked is not most people's first reaction upon being howled at by a werewolf. It's usually something more along the lines of terror. _Maybe_ fright. But usually terror.

"Well what do you know," the boy in front, who had light brown hair and green eyes, said. He was probably about the second tallest in the group.

Suddenly, before any of us had time to even realize what was happening, Moony had charged, and the boy had transformed into a large, black wolf. Most of the others had transformed as well. Only a girl who had slightly lighter hair than the first boy, as well as the same green eyes, stood frozen. The look in her eye was much more like what I was used to seeing when people looked at werewolves. I was broken out of my thoughts by what appeared to be a silent argument. It was taking place between a sleek, white tiger and the girl. After wracking my brain for a moment, I realized that was where the auburn haired girl with pale blue eyes had been standing. After a moment, the girl seemed to snap out of her trance, and transformed. Moony stopped the fight he had been having with the black wolf, which was protecting the girl, and looked at them in shock. The brown eagle, which was standing where the girl had been, had an expression on her face that probably would have been an apologetic smile if she had been in human form.

Snapping to my senses, I walked over to the one who had been fighting with Moony. "Just what are you doing?" I asked. All animagi can talk to each other in their forms, no matter what kind of animal you become. You can also talk to real animals while transformed, although it helps if the species are related. For example, Padfoot can get through to Moony much faster than me or Wormtail.

"Well, we _were_ walking to Hogwarts," the wolf responded. "What?" he asked, noticing the odd look on my face.

"Do you attend Hogwarts?" I asked. I really think I would have recognized them if they had.

"Actually, we're just hoping to transfer," the wolf said. He seemed distracted. Of course, that could be because he and his friends had just encountered an almost fully-grown werewolf, even if that hadn't seemed to faze them too much before.

"Where are you transferring from?" I asked curiously. We were watching the others introduce themselves. It was really pretty funny.

"You won't have heard of it. It's a really small school," the wolf shrugged.

"I've heard of a lot of schools, so I'll probably know it," I argued.

"Nah, because only the people who live in our village know about it. The family members of people who live there don't even know, unless they lived there at one time." The wolf was still watching the events in front of us, but seemed to be gazing around the clearing, as if looking for any signs of an attack. "By the way, what's today's date?" Seeing my questioning glance, he continued. "We've been walking for a really long time. It took forever to leave the port-key wards at our village, and we port-keyed to pretty far away from Hogwarts, because no one was sure how far the wards went."

"Really?" I asked doubtfully. "Well, if it's still before 12, it's November 10. If it's after, it's November 11, 1976."

"Thanks. That means we've been walking for about three days," the wolf said. "By the way, do you have a name?"

"Just call me Prongs," I answered. The wolf nodded. "Are you going to tell me yours now?"

"Well, since we're going by nicknames, it's Midnight. Although it wouldn't hurt to tell you my real name, you've definitely got more of a reason for hiding it than I do," the wolf, _Midnight_, said.

"How do you figure?" I was puzzled by that one.

"If I knew your name, which probably won't take long if Prongs is your nickname, then I would be able to figure out just which one of your friends is a werewolf." I was slightly alarmed by that fact, and it must have shown on my face. "Don't worry, it's not like any of us are going to tell. That would be really stupid, now wouldn't it?"

"I must say, that's a pretty unique view," I said thoughtfully. These people sure were strange.

"Well, what would the point be? We've just made four new friends. Why would we want to run them off?" Midnight was looking around again. "Who are your friends?"

"Wormtail, Padfoot, and Moony," I answered. "Who are yours?"

"Hoofer, Snow, Sapphire, Flame, and Swift," Midnight replied. He appeared to be grinning, although it's hard to tell with dogs, and it's slightly disturbing if you can. "We'd better be heading up to the castle. If you don't mind, I'm sure at least some of us would be more than happy to join you on the next full moon. Of course, we'll completely understand if you would rather it be just the four of you."

"Well, I'll have to check," I said slowly.

"Understandable," Midnight said, grinning again. He must have given a silent signal then, because all of the newcomers looked up at him. I was surprised when he didn't say anything, but maybe they had a special way of communicating. There might be a lot of animagi where they came from. They had probably developed their own secret language of sorts. Of course, maybe they were just so close they could practically read each other's thoughts.

Suddenly, they all left in the direction of Hogwarts. "I think we should follow them," Padfoot said, coming over. "Doesn't it strike you a little odd that they just showed up like that?" I nodded.

"I agree. Lets see if we can get Moony to follow them. You have the best luck with that." Padfoot nodded, and walked over to Moony. Eventually, they both nodded, and joined Wormtail and I. Wormtail had climbed up on my back while the other two were talking. We followed the six strangers as quietly as we could. We were doing pretty good, too, seeing as it is very hard to follow six creatures who, for the most part, blend in to the night, and who all have excellent hearing. We followed them the entire way, although, by the time the strangers had reached the school, it was time for us to go back into the Shrieking Shack.

By the time Remus had transformed back and we had taken him to the hospital wing, we had about an hour until breakfast. We gladly fell into bed, and stayed there for the next 50 minutes, knowing perfectly well that Remus wouldn't let us come next time if we missed _anything_ school related.

We slipped into breakfast just as Dumbledore rose to speak.

"We have the pleasure of having six new students join us," Dumbledore said to the silent hall. The six people from the night before stood in front of the head table. "They will be sorted now."

McGonagall came forward, Sorting Hat in hand. "Anderson, Laura," she called. The auburn haired girl who had transformed into the white tiger came forward. She put on the Sorting Hat, which screamed "Ravenclaw!"

"Granger, Felicia!" It was the girl that hadn't transformed immediately. "Ravenclaw!" the hat said, barely sitting on her head. The girl looked shocked.

"Granger, Harry!" The boy who I talked to last night came forward. McGonagall put the hat on his head. The hat just sat there, and the boy seemed to be arguing with it. Suddenly, the hat screamed "Slytherin!" The three that were left looked shocked, while Harry just looked angry. He tore the hat off his head and stormed over to the cheering table, sitting by himself at the far end. He appeared to be trying to stop himself from hexing someone.

"Typical Slytherin," Sirius whispered to me as Neville Jones, who had become a horse the night before, was sorted into Gryffindor.

"He seemed nice enough last night," I answered, eyeing him cautiously. Just then, Ginny Welker was sorted into Gryffindor, as well as her brother Ron.

Rising again, Dumbledore spoke. "Miss and Mr. Granger, Mr. Jones, and Mr. Welker will be joining the sixth year classes, while Miss Welker and Miss Anderson will be joining the fifth years. Now, enjoy your breakfast." With that, food appeared, and everyone began eating.

I motioned to the three new students to move down to where we were sitting. They did so, although they seemed reluctant.

"So, how do you like Hogwarts so far?" Sirius asked brightly. "I'm Sirius by the way."

"Good to know," Ron said. "And your name is?"

"No, that is my name," Sirius grinned. He liked this kid's sense of humour.

"I know, it was just too good to pass up," Ron smirked. Sirius pretended to pout.

"Hogwarts is fine so far," Ginny said, glaring at Ron.

"What's with your friend?" I asked, motioning towards Harry.

"He would have rather been with one of us," Ron said quickly. He started shovelling food in his mouth.

"What classes are you taking?" Sirius asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

"I'm taking the core classes, plus Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, and Care of Magical Creatures," Ginny answered.

"I'm taking Charms, Herbology, Defence Against the Dart Arts, Care of Magical Creatures, and Muggle Studies," Neville answered.

"Ron swallowed, then answered. "I'm taking the same as Neville, except take out Muggle Studies and Care of Magical Creatures, and add in Transfiguration and Potions. Still not quite sure how I got an O in that last one. Harry and Hermione passed just about everything with flying colours. As such, Harry is taking Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts, in which I think he was the only one who got an O, and Herbology. Her-Felicia, ever the over achiever, is taking Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes."

"How are the classes here set up?" Ginny asked, gazing around the Great Hall.

"Well, fifth year and below have classes with their house, and occasionally partnered with another. Sixth and seventh years take theirs all together. For example, all of us will be in Herbology," Peter explained.

"We can show you sixth years around if you want. At least one of us has those classes," I offered. "It's a good thing Arithmancy and Ancient Runes are after lunch, however, because he's the only one of us four who takes it. He wasn't feeling well this morning, so he went to the hospital wing," I explained, seeing their questioning looks. It didn't look like they believed me, but they didn't press matters.

"If your sure, we'd love to take you up on that," Ron said. "Neville, why don't you tell Hermione we'll meet her by the doors. I'll go tell Harry." They each ran off.

"You'll have to forgive them," Ginny said. "We always do stuff together, so none of us really like the fact that we're separated."

"How did you all become such good friends?" Peter asked.

"Death Eater battle," Ginny said, acting as if it were no big deal.

"You know, if you didn't want to tell us, you could have just said so," I said, somewhat offended.

"I'm being…," Ginny trailed off as she glanced at Sirius. "I'm telling the truth!"

"The girl catches on quick!" Sirius exclaimed, and we couldn't help but laugh.

"Growing up with my brothers, you learn a few things about jokes and pranks," Ginny grinned. I'm sure she didn't miss the looks on our faces.

"Do any of you like Quidditch?" I asked before she could get any ideas. I could practically _hear_ Sirius roll his eyes.

"I play chaser, Ron plays Keeper, and Harry plays Seeker," Ginny answered. At that moment, the bell rang, and the food disappeared. We stood up, and walked to the Entrance Hall. Harry was already waiting there with Ron. I spotted Felicia, Laura, and Neville approaching from the other direction. Laura said her good-byes and walked off with another fifth year Ravenclaw I knew by sight.

Just then, Snivellus, of all people, approached the group. We were close enough to here what he said.

"Granger!" he yelled to Harry. "As a Slytherin sixth year prefect, I'm required to ask if you need shown around."

"Actually," Harry said brightly. "I believe I've got someone to show me to classes, but could you show me to the common room and stuff, after supper, if you don't mind."

"If I minded, I wouldn't have offered. By the was, Severus Snape," he said, sticking his hand out.

"Harry Granger," Harry replied, shaking his hand. "See you later tonight." Snivellus nodded, and headed towards the first class, Potions.

"Well, we should get going!" I said as we drew nearer. "Peter, you can show Neville to Muggle Studies, and we'll head on to Potions." Everyone nodded. "I'm James Potter, and this is Sirius Black. That was Peter Pettigrew," I said, mainly to Harry and Felicia.

"I'm Felicia," the girl said, smiling slightly.

"I believe you know me best as Midnight," Harry said.

"How did you know who we were?" I asked, shocked. Sirius didn't seem to make the connection, and Peter was already gone.

"Well, I could say it was something impressive, like Legilimency." Harry grinned, looking at my awestruck look. "But while I'm fairly competent at Occlumency, I suck at Legilimency. The real reason is that I recognized your voice. You sound the same no matter what form you take." I nodded, although it still didn't make much sense. By this time, however, we were in the Potions classroom, and we couldn't continue the discussion.

"Alright, class," Professor Slughorn said as we sat down. "Today, we are getting new partners. In case no one told you," he said, talking to Harry, Hermione, and Ron. "I'm Professor Slughorn, head of Slytherin. We always work with an assigned partner. Every three months, we switch partners. During June, we'll have a competition of sorts, and the people with the highest average for that month will when points for their house, as well as a 30 galleon gift certificate to the shop of their choice. That is, that's what the top three get. If there is a tie, we use the averages for the rest of the year. I must say, I expect good things from you three, seeing as you all managed O's in the class. There aren't many others who did. Now, for the partners."

After about ten minutes, he had them all assigned. I, to my great enjoyment, was partnered with Lily. She was excellent at Potions, not to mention one of Slughorn's favourites. Sirius was with Ron and Remus was with Felicia. Harry, poor guy, was stuck with Snivellus. The teacher had assigned us seats as well. Lily and I were in the back, with Sirius and Ron in front of us. Then came Harry and Snape, with Felicia and Remus in front of them.

"Sirius!" I whispered, leaning forward slightly.

"What?" he asked. Ron was busy stirring the Potion, so we could talk freely.

"We need to add something to dear Snivelly's cauldron," I whispered, holding up a Dr. Filibuster Wet-Start Firework.

"Even if it'll ruin Harry's grade?" Sirius asked, but he was already levitating it towards their cauldron. He was about to drop it in when, all of a sudden, something strange happened. Instead of falling in their cauldron, it started backwards. I realized what was going to happen a second before it did. The firework fell in my cauldron, just as Lily added some newt's eyes. It exploded instantly. I had time to duck, but Lily didn't. She was hit, and she started sprouting multi-coloured boils.

"What happened?" Professor Slughorn asked. The room was deadly silent.

"What did you add?" Lily screeched. I stood there, dumbfounded. I couldn't really say it had been caused by a firework Sirius and I had been trying to put in someone else's cauldron.

"I didn't add anything!" I protested. Everyone was looking at me doubtfully. Lily was second best in the class at Potions. It was very unlikely that _she_ had been the one to add the wrong thing.

"It looks like this went off in their cauldron," Harry said, having come closer. He pulled out the firework.

"_Who _put this in their cauldron?" Slughorn asked coldly. No one moved. He was still staring when the bell rang. "Class dismissed." With that, everyone exited the classroom, not wasting any time.

"What on earth could have happened?" I asked wonderingly. I was talking to Sirius, forgetting that three of the new students were following.

"I didn't want you to mess up my Potions grade," came a voice from behind. Harry was smirking, looking quite pleased with himself.

"How did you know we were planning something?" Sirius asked, grudgingly impressed. No one, and I repeat, no one, had been able to thwart one of our pranks before.

"Don't whisper so loudly. Also, just a tip for future reference, floating fireworks look slightly suspicious, don't you think?" Harry said smugly. Sirius and I could do nothing but stare.

"Alright, if you think you're so good, we want to challenge you to a prank war," I said, before I could actually stop to think. Sirius started staring at me, now, clearly sure I'd lost my mind. I mean, after all, just one of them had stopped our last prank. Here I was giving them all six of them to prank us with a vengeance.

"Well, I'll have to consult with my colleagues first, of course," Harry said. "But there is at least one term to be agreed upon right now."

"And what is that?" Sirius asked cautiously.

"We only prank the ones in the war," Harry said simply. "Lets say that Felicia here doesn't want in on it. You can't prank her. Lets say Peter doesn't want in on it. We can't prank him. We can't prank any of the staff, or other students. Is that clear?" Sirius and I both nodded. "Good. Then I'm in."

"Me too," Ron said. Felicia nodded.

"Well, you can't very well have a prank war without opponents, now can you?" Sirius asked. "I'm in. So is the idiot over there who's having second thoughts about challenging you." He was motioning towards me. I am _not_ an idiot.

"Let's go ask Remus, he should be up by now," I said brightly, trying to ignore the sniggers from the other three. The others agreed readily enough, seeing as it was a free period, and Slughorn hadn't had time to assign homework.

"Hi, Remus!" Sirius said excitedly once we got to the hospital wing, bouncing excitedly.

"Hi Sirius, hi James," Remus said wearily. Then he spotted our other visitors.

"Hi! We haven't properly met yet, but I'm Harry Granger," Harry grinned, offering his hand to Remus.

"Erm, hello," Remus said hesitantly, shaking his hand. "Remus Lupin."

"This is my twin sister, Felicia, and our friend Ron Welker," Harry continued, either not noticing or pretending not to notice Remus's nervousness. "Ron's sister Ginny, and our friend Laura Anderson aren't here right now seeing as they're in fifth year. Neville will probably be led here soon. He was at Muggle Studies with Peter." Suddenly, there was a bang outside as someone entered the hospital wing. Looking alarmed, the other three immediately changed. Felicia turned into her dark brown eagle, Ron turned into a small salamander, and Harry…disappeared from view. He had changed for a split second, and then just disappeared from sight.

Author's Note: Well, how did you like it? You've read it, now make my day and review! Next up, Hermione's versions of the time travelers arrival.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Not mine. Hardly anything is mine. A few things actually are, but almost everything is JKR's.

Author's Note: Hmm...I got this done, and forgot to post it. I didn't realize that until I went to type chapter four. Here's the last chapter from a time-traveler's point of view. Hope you like it!

Heart's Desire

Chapter 3

-----Hermione's Point of View-----

We were spinning madly. I was actually about to get sick, and I don't get motion sick easily. We landed with a thump inside the Forbidden Forest.

"Something isn't right," Harry said instantly. He glanced up at the sky, as if trying to read something there. I, personally, thought he had been spending _way_ too much time with the centaurs, no matter how good they were at muggle archery.

"Just what do you hope to find up there, Harry?" I asked, semi-exasperated.

"That," he said, pointing. There, just above the treetops, was the full moon.

"Oh," I said lamely. Harry just smiled.

"Lets get moving," Ron suggested. "There is obviously a chance we'll run into the Marauders tonight, but we might as well get moving. We don't want to get there too late for breakfast."

"Ron, how typical," Ginny laughed. "Honestly, do you ever think of anything but food?"

"Of course I do," Ron said indignantly. They continued to bicker as we started walking through the forest. All of a sudden, we came into a clearing. There, on the opposite side, stood Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs.

I know the only thing that kept Moony from charging for so long was the fact that we had appeared suddenly from down wind. Suddenly, he charged. Harry, always the one with the quickest reactions, immediately transformed into a wolf and tackled him mid-air, giving everyone a chance to transform. I stood there, frozen, watching Harry and Remus battle. They were actually pretty evenly matched, Harry's speed somewhat evening out Remus's strength.

"Hermione!" I heard Luna say through the charm. "You have to transform."

"Oh! Right!" I thought hurriedly. Suddenly, I drew a blank. "Luna! I forgot how!"

"Just calm down, and concentrate on your eagle form," Luna said calmly, making me calm down just to hear someone who seemed to be in control of herself. Within seconds, I had calmed down enough to transform. At this point, Moony seemed to realize that Harry wasn't keeping him from humans; he was keeping him from other animals, which he didn't seem to want nearly as much. He stopped to stare at us. I tried to smile apologetically at everyone else, especially at Harry, who seemed to be bleeding from his left shoulder. Prongs approached Harry cautiously.

"Just what are you doing?" he asked. We could all here him, just like if he had spoken out loud.

"Well, we _were_ walking to Hogwarts," Harry responded. "What?" he inquired, as James gave him a funny look.

"Do you attend Hogwarts?" James asked. He and Harry moved a little way away from the main group, still talking. We decided to talk amongst ourselves, too. Ron decided to talk to Remus, figuring he would have the best chance of getting through, seeing as he turned into a magical creature, a salamander, outside of Harry, for who it would be like talking to another animagus, seeing as one of his forms was a wolf and the other was a magical creature. Ginny and I moved to talk to Padfoot, while Neville and Luna talked to Wormtail.

"Why, hello there," I said, semi-shyly.

"Um, hello," Sirius said, slightly doubtful. "You would be?"

"I'm Sapphire. My friend here is Swift," Ginny answered.

"I'm Padfoot," Sirius grinned. "What, exactly, are you doing, roaming the forest during a full moon?"

"Trying to get to Hogwarts," I shrugged. "Are we close?" I noticed Harry and James talking at the edge of the clearing. Harry was scanning all of the forest he could see, as if making sure there was no danger. He was getting to have a pretty good sense for it. He could notice dangers that I would never think of. It really helped when people, mainly Fred and George, tried to play pranks on us.

"Hermione," Harry said urgently through the spell.

"What?" I asked, trying to act as if nothing was happening.

"Could you investigate outside the ring of trees? _Something's_ there, I just don't know what. Something dangerous, so watch out."

"Sure, Harry." With that I took flight. Sirius was the only Marauder who noticed me leave.

I flew as close to the ground as I dared. That is, until I spotted what I was looking for.

"Harry," I said, landing back in the clearing. "There are three full-grown acromantulas out there."

"Alright. Thanks 'Mione. Okay, group. Lets move out. Act suspicious, we don't want these four getting hurt." With that, we all said our good-byes, and started in the direction of Hogwarts. We stopped just out of sight, and listened.

"I think we should follow them." We heard Padfoot say. "Doesn't it strike you a little odd that they just showed up like that?"

"I agree," Prongs replied. "Let's see if we can get Moony to follow them. You have the best luck with that."

We heard them start after us, so we started as well, making sure to stay in sight so they wouldn't decide to do something else, like go back to the clearing. We wove around as long as we could, giving them just enough time to get back to the Shack as we reached Hogwarts. We transformed as we saw them duck under the Whomping Willow.

"Well, lets head to Dumbledore's office," Neville said, snapping back to reality first. We all nodded. We hoped not to encounter anyone, but that didn't happen. The very first person we met was Bellatrix Black.

"Just who are you?" she sneered.

"Transfers. Now, if you will excuse us, we're trying to find the Headmaster's office," Harry said, attempting to push past her. I just hoped Harry and Neville wouldn't lose their tempers. In our time, she had been killed at the battle at Diagon Alley, which had taken place about a month before Christmas.

"Well, I'd be happy to show you the way," she said, smiling coldly. I did _not_ like the look in her eye.

"That's all right. He sent us a letter telling us the location," Harry said, just as coldly. He started walking away just as Bellatrix tried to cast a spell.

"Sectumsempra!" she cried. Harry dove just as she started. He was back up before the spell hit the wall.

"Tartangula," he said calmly, making her legs jerk uncontrollably. "Expeliaramus," he continued. Her wand flew to his hand. With a final shout of "Stupefy!" Bellatrix fell over, stunned, and I don't just mean by the spell. I don't guess anyone had ever beaten her that fast or easily.

"Well, she can't just be lying around here," Ginny said. She and Ron drug Bellatrix to the nearest broom closet, and shoved her inside, making sure a particularly heavy can of Miss Skower's Magical Mess Remover fell on her face.

"Shall we continue?" Luna asked, as if nothing had happened.

Our meeting with Dumbledore went a lot better than it could have. He seemed to thoroughly believe our story, which was good, but made me wonder what other lies had been told to hem. We followed him down to the Great Hall. He was just about to speak when the Marauders snuck in. Well, three of the four, anyway.

We have the pleasure of having six new students join us," Dumbledore said to the silent hall. "They will be sorted now.

McGonagall came forward, Sorting Hat in hand. "Anderson, Laura," she called. Luna stepped forward, and placed the Sorting Hat on her head. It screamed, "Ravenclaw!"

"Granger, Felicia!" I walked forward nervously, and placed the hat on my head.

"Hmm, well, it's quite obvious. Ravenclaw!" the hat said, taking me completely by surprise. I took the hat off, shocked, and walked to the cheering Ravenclaw table as McGonagall called "Granger, Harry!"

Harry walked forward, and sat under the hat for almost longer than I had ever seen. He was arguing with it, and I started to get a sinking feeling. "Slytherin!" the hat yelled, proving it justified. Harry tore the hat off his head, storming angrily to the Slytherin table, which was cheering, although not very loudly. Neville, Ginny, and Ron were all called, and all placed into Gryffindor.

"Rising again, Dumbledore spoke. "Miss and Mr. Granger, Mr. Jones, and Mr. Welker will be joining the sixth year classes, while Miss Welker and Miss Anderson will be joining the fifth years. Now, enjoy your breakfast." With that, the food appeared, and everyone began piling it on their plates.

"So, that's your brother?" a dark haired witch asked, pointing to Harry, who was sulking at the end of the Slytherin table.

"Twin brother, yeah," I answered. "I'm Felicia, by the way. What's your name?"

"I'm Marianna," the girl replied. She was staring at Harry, as if she had never seen anything like him. I rolled my eyes. It looked like Harry was going to have more attention than he wanted, even in the past.

The meal passed silently until Neville ran over.

"Hey, Felicia. We've got some people to show us around school, now," he said. At that moment, the bell rang, signalling the start of class.

"That's great!" I said, faking enthusiasm so the other people in my house wouldn't get suspicious.

"Yes, I've got someone, too," Luna said from beside me. I smiled, and followed Neville towards the Entrance Hall, with Luna following me. She walked off with another fifth year Ravenclaw as we joined Harry and Ron. Just then, Snape walked over.

"Granger!" he yelled at Harry, who didn't look up immediately, but still fast enough for people not to get suspicious. "As a Slytherin sixth year prefect, I'm required to ask if you need shown around."

"Actually," Harry responded cheerfully. "I believe I've got someone to show me to classes, but could you show me to the common room and stuff, after supper, if you don't mind."

"If I minded, I wouldn't have offered. By the way Severus Snape," he said, sticking out his hand.

"Harry Granger," Harry replied, shaking his hand. "See you later tonight." Snape just nodded and headed towards Potions.

"Well, we should get going!" James said as they approached. I wasn't sure if they had heard the exchange or not, but if they had, they probably weren't thrilled to see _anyone_ associating with Snape willingly. "Peter, you can show Neville to Muggle Studies, and we'll head on to Potions." We all nodded. "I'm James Potter, by the way, and this is Sirius Black. That was Peter Pettigrew." He said this mainly to me and Harry.

"I'm Felicia," I said, smiling.

"I believe you know me best as Midnight," Harry smirked.

"How did you know who we were?" James asked, clearly shocked.

"Well, I could say it was something impressive, like Legilimency," Harry grinned. "But while I'm fairly competent at Occlumency, I suck at Legilimency. The real reason is that I recognized your voice. You sound the same no matter what form you take. James nodded.

"Alright, class," Professor Slughorn said as everyone sat down. "Today, we are getting new partners. In case no one told you," he said to me, Ron, and Harry. "I'm Professor Slughorn, head of Slytherin. We always work with an assigned partner. Every three months, we switch partners. During June, we'll have a competition of sorts, and the people wit the highest average for that month will win points for their house, as well as a 30 galleon gift certificate to the shop of their choice. That is, that's what the top three get. If there is a tie, we use the averages for the rest of the year. I must say, I expect good things from you three, seeing as you all managed O's in the class. There aren't many others who did. Now, for the partners."

After about ten minutes, he had assigned everyone partners. I was with Remus, who was still in the hospital wing, Ron was with Sirius, and Harry was with Snape. Harry and Snape were sitting behind me, with Ron and Sirius behind them. I was working on my potion, and it had just turned the proper shade of blue when, suddenly, there came an explosion from behind me.

"What happened?" Professor Slughorn asked as he strode over to where Lily and James were. The room was deadly silent.

"What did you add?" Lily screeched. James appeared to be drawing a blank.

"I didn't add anything!" he protested, but no one except Sirius, Ron, and Harry seemed to believe him. A closer look at Harry's face proved he was smirking slightly.

"It looks like this went off in their cauldron," he said, walking closer. He pulled out a firework.

"_Who_ put this in their caldron?" Slughorn asked coldly. No one moved. He was still staring when the bell rang. "Class dismissed." Everyone left the room.

"What on earth could have happened?" James was asking Sirius as we left.

"I didn't want you to mess up my Potions grade," Harry smirked.

"How did you know we were planning something?" Sirius asked.

"Don't whisper so loudly. Also, just a tip for future reference, floating fireworks look slightly suspicious, don't you think?" Harry asked smugly.

"Alright, if you think you're so good, we want to challenge you to a prank war," James said. He looked as if he regretted it instantly. Sirius just stared at him.

"Well, I'll have to consult my colleagues first, of course," Harry said. "But there is at least one term to be agreed upon right now."

"And what is that?" Sirius asked cautiously.

"We only prank the ones in the war," Harry said simply. "Lets say Felicia here doesn't want in on it. You can't prank her. Lets say Peter doesn't want in on it. We can't prank him. We can't prank any of the staff, or other students. Is that clear?" They both nodded. "Good. Then I'm in."

"Me too," Ron said, while I nodded.

"Well, you can't very well have a prank war without opponents, now can you?" Sirius asked. "I'm in. So is the idiot over there who's having second thoughts about challenging you."

"Lets go ask Remus, he should be up by now," James said, clearly not taking well to being called an idiot by his best friend and then being laughed at.

"Hi, Remus!" Sirius said excitedly once we got to the hospital wing.

"Hi Sirius, hi James," Remus said wearily. Then he spotted us.

"Hi! We haven't properly met yet, but I'm Harry Granger," Harry grinned, offering his hand to Remus.

"Erm, hello," Remus said hesitantly, shaking his hand. "Remus Lupin."

"This is my twin sister, Felicia, and our friend Ron Welker," Harry continued, ignoring Remus's nervousness at what he knew we knew. "Ron's sister Ginny, and our friend Laura Anderson aren't here right now, seeing as they're in fifth year. Neville will probably be led here soon. He was at Muggle Studies with Peter." Suddenly, there was a bang outside as someone entered the hospital wing. Harry, Ron, and I immediately changed. I turned into my dark brown eagle, Ron turned into a small salamander, and Harry transformed, disappearing from view.

Author's Note: Well, how was that? Now, you are going to be the awesome readers I know you can be and review! Honestly. This is the third chapter, and I've gotten 1 review! I know your reading it because it's gotten quite a few hits. If I don't get at least two reviews, I'm going to take this story down. So, if you want to see anymore, you have to review!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own next to nothing. This is almost completely JKR's.

Author's Note: Wow. I honestly thought this chapter wouldn't happen, if not from lack of reviews then from the fact that before chapter 3, there had only been 5 hits on chapter 2. But I got five times the number of reviews asked for. I'm quite happy now, and will be content unless I still have 11 after chapter 12. That does NOT mean I want you to quit reviewing, however. So, here it is, longer than the rest just for all of you...

Heart's Desire

Chapter 4

-----Remus's Point of View-----

There was a bang from the front of the hospital wing. I turned to look at the door, as did Sirius and James. Peter walked in, followed by a boy with dark brown hair that I vaguely remembered from the night before. He took one look at where Harry, Ron, and Felicia were standing, and muttered a soft "Oops." With that, he glanced around and changed into a dark brown horse that I _definitely_ remembered seeing. I glanced to where his friends were, only seeing the salamander that had tried to talk to me in wolf form and a brown eagle. The third teen had disappeared. 'That's odd,' I thought to myself. 'He turned into a wolf last night. I wonder where he is.'

"Damn, Nev, did you have to scare us like that?" Ron asked, transforming back.

"Sorry," Neville said, blushing slightly, having transformed as well.

"Oh well, no harm done," Harry said. I did a double take, as did James, Sirius, and Peter. New where did he come back from?

"Where did you go?" James asked, as if reading my thoughts.

"Nowhere," Harry said, sounding confused, but not surprised. That's one thing I've noticed about people's lies. They may go a good job portraying one emotion, in this case confusion at being asked where he had gone, but not another, like surprise that he was asked at all.

"What, you can become invisible at will?" Sirius asked, rolling his eyes. By this time, Felicia had changed back.

"Of course he can. Can't you? All the really good wizards can," she teased.

"Humph," was all Sirius had to say in response.

"I believe there was a reason we came up here," Harry grinned.

"Ah, yes. Do you want in on a prank war?" James asked Peter and I.

"Keep in mind that you will lose," Harry grinned. "We already ruined one of their pranks. It was a little elementary, but still. Nev, are you in?"

"I guess," I answered James, ignoring most of what Harry had said. If they had already stopped one, they had to be good; no matter how advanced they thought the prank was.

"Yeah!" Peter squeaked excitedly. Neville nodded enthusiastically.

"Remember that we have to talk to Ginny and Laura about it later. We can explain ground rules while we plan. Anyway, onto other business." Harry was suddenly serious. "Do you go to that clearing often?" I, for one, was slightly shocked that they had figured out exactly who we were so fast. Well, in a way, anyway. I guess me being in the Hospital Wing did give it away a bit, but still… I'd have to remember to ask one of them about it later.

"No, that was the first time," Sirius shrugged. "It looked pretty cool, though."

"I wouldn't go back if I were you," Felicia said.

"Why on earth not?" Peter asked doubtfully.

"There were three, fully-grown, hungry acromantulas outside the ring of trees," Harry said. If you were to judge by the tone of his voice alone, you would think he said this kind of thing every day.

"You're kidding," James said, somewhat hopefully.

"Would I kid about this?" he asked seriously.

"No, I guess not," James sighed reluctantly. We sat in silence for a moment, each lost in our own thoughts.

"What do we have next?" Ron asked.

"Charms," James replied automatically.

"In how long?" Ron continued.

"Half an hour," James replied, glancing at his watch.

"In that case," Harry said, standing. "You'll have to excuse us for a bit. We have a prank to plan." He grinned, and motioned for the rest of them to follow him to the other side of the infirmary.

"Should we start planning as well?" Peter asked, shooting them nervous looks. It appeared he didn't like the fact that they had ruined one of Sirius and James's pranks anymore than I did.

"Oh would you two chill!" Sirius exclaimed, seeing the look. "We were _trying_ to put a firework in Snivellus's cauldron, which just _happened_ to be Harry's cauldron as well, since they're partners now, and Harry got wise to it and set it off in James and Evans's cauldron. It was nothing!"

"It's more than anyone else has ever accomplished," I pointed out. Sirius didn't look happy about that. "Let's just plan."

"Alright," James said, while Peter nodded and Sirius shrugged.

-----Neville's Point of View-----

"You got it?" Harry hissed to me as we settled in on the opposite side of the room from the Marauders.

"Yup," I whispered back, holding up what appeared to be flesh-colored string. Harry smirked.

"They won't know what hit 'em," Ron said, somewhat proud. It appeared he really wanted to be able to tell Fred and George that he had outpranked the Marauders.

I sent the end of the Extendable Ears that listen in on conversation on its merry way, and put the other end to my own ear.

"Do you have sound?" Hermione grinned.

"Sound's a go," I grinned back. We had gotten together quite a few times over the summer, and one of the main things we did while at Hermione's house had been watch muggle spy movies.

"Alright," Harry said, using the spell to communicate. Even though we knew our opponents didn't have the equipment we have, we didn't want them to overhear us. That, and if he used the spell while I eavesdropped on the Marauders with my ears, the two conversations wouldn't overlap nearly as much. "What do we want to do?"

"Could we get some of Fred and George's fireworks to follow them around?" Ron suggested.

"That would distract to many other students, more than likely us included," Hermione pointed out. "We could set off a portable swamp in their trunks."

"Nah, maybe for a grand finale or something," Harry said. "We need something to start it off with a bang."

"Hmm… Well, we could combine a firework with a tracking and invisibility charm," Hermione said, thinking a bit. "It would only follow the specific person around, and only they would be able to see it."

"That sounds pretty good," Ron said.

"Yeah, it does," Harry agreed.

"Hey, guys, they're finished planning," I said, listening to the beginnings of a conversation about quidditch through the Extendable Ears.

"What are they planning?" Hermione asked instantly. Honestly, I _was_ going to tell them. I wouldn't just leave them hanging like that. Well, except for that one time…but that is neither here nor there.

"They're going to try to give us candies that turn us bright pink," I said, pulling the Extendable Ear back. I like quidditch as well as the next person. Well, in this case, that's not strictly true, because I was sitting between Ron and Harry, who both love it with a passion. Anyway, that wasn't the point. As much as I like quidditch, and as much as I may be willing to talk about it, I really don't care to listen if I don't have to. "They seem to think they can get them to us without getting the entire house."

"Just how do they plan to do that?" Harry smirked. I shrugged.

"I have no idea. They just said they'd use what they used for their last edible prank," I said.

"We are going to turn the tables on them, aren't we?" Ron asked excitedly.

"Of course," Hermione said in a business-like voice. All we'll have to figure out is exactly how. Now, however, we should join back up with them. The bell's about to ring." Sure enough, the bell did ring just about as soon as we got back across the room.

"Well, lets go. Charms is quite a hike," James said, shouldering his bag. The rest of us followed suit and, waving good-bye to Remus, left the infirmary.

"Here we are," Sirius said three floors later.

"Bout time," Ron said, trying his best to sound irritated instead of bored. We quickly entered the classroom. We seemed to be the last ones there, but we weren't late. It was then that I got my first glimpse of them. My parents, sitting there, in the front row. I finally realized something like what it must have been like for Harry ever since we got here. He had been in the company of his father and godfather practically non-stop since we landed in the forest, and with his mother during Potions. I knew she was good in them; Slughorn makes quite a point of reminding Harry about it. I know it gets on his nerves sometimes, especially since, while not by any mean as bad as I am, or even Ron, he is more than likely no where near her skill level, and doesn't like being constantly compared to her.

"Class," Professor Flitwick squeaked as we took our seats. "It's my sad duty to inform you that one of your fellow students was found cursed this morning, inside a broom closet. Does anyone have any information regarding this incident?" Predictably, no one said anything.

"Think I should say something? You know, along the lines of self-defense or something?" Harry asked through the bond.

"Nah," Ron said. "It'll just cast you in a bad light, because no one else was there to corroborate to story, except for your friends. It would just make you look bad."

"I agree," Hermione and I said at the same time. Harry just nodded.

"No one, hmm," Flitwick said, casting a doubtful eye towards the Marauders, who looked just as confused as everyone else. "Very well. Today we will be learning a more advanced shielding spell. It is, if powerful enough, able to shield the caster from the Cruciatus and Imperious curses, although it usually takes quite a bit out of you. In those cases, it usually can last for no less than one curse, and makes your energy levels lower, and you less able to dodge, which is still the most effective way to block any of the Unforgivables. If used properly, it will reflect the spell back at the caster. In fact, if the person using the shield is fast enough, they can add their own power to the spell. When it rebounds on the person who cast it, it will be worse than it originally was. There are very few people who can pull this off, however. The spell will only work that way if your shield turns white instead of the normal bright blue. Usually, however, it will simply cause the spell to deflect off to a side. Now, for a practical demonstration. _Protego Maximus!_" A bright blue light surrounded Flitwick. "There," he continued, canceling the spell. "On by one, I want you to try. I don't expect you all to get it on your first try, as it requires quite a bit of power and concentration, although they are interchangeable for this spell. Miss Evans, why don't you try first."

Lily stood up. "_Protego Maximus_!" Blue light surrounded her, although it was almost navy instead of electric blue, like Flitwick's had been.

"Most excellent for a first try. Ten points to Gryffindor," Flitwick said, sounding pleased. "Mr. Pettigrew!" This is where I stopped paying attention. Well, that's not _completely_ true. I know that Peter and Snape's charms turned orange, the second to the delight of the Marauders. James and Sirius managed to make theirs green, although closer to yellow than blue. Mum and Dad each managed a shade of purple, Mum's having much more blue than Dad's. No one had gotten as close as Lily yet. Finally, he called Harry.

"Mr. Granger, lets see what you can do."

"Yes, sir," Harry said, rising and walking to the front of the room, just everyone before him had done. "_Protego Maximus_!" A blinding white light shot out from his wand.

"V-very good, Mr. Granger. Ten points to Slytherin," Flitwick managed. He had a mixture of shock and awe on his face. "That can't have been your first time casting the spell."

"No, your right. It's not. I've known it for a while now," Harry shrugged, sitting back down. We all could do it. It was one of the first spells Dumbledore taught Harry, and he taught it to the entire DA in return. Briefly, I wondered what they were doing without Harry to lead them, but I shook it off at the sound of Flitwick's voice.

"Mr. Jones," he called, motioning me forward. My spell word isn't as high as Harry's, but I knew my shield would at least be blue.

"_Protego Maximus_!" I called. A blue light only a little duller than Flitwick's surrounded me. Flitwick proceeded to be shocked again, and awarded another ten points to Gryffindor.

"Miss Granger," Flitwick said, calling Hermione forward. Her spell was almost as bright as Harry's, although I knew Hermione's was more concentration than power, unlike Harry, who definitely used more power than concentration. "Ten points to Ravenclaw."

"Mr. Welker," Flitwick said, bringing Ron to the front. Ron cast the spell, with the resulting shield being a little darker than mine. He didn't have the power Harry had or the concentration Hermione had. He also didn't care nearly as much about grades as I did. "Another ten points to Gryffindor!"

"Homework!" Flitwick said, seconds before the bell. "Practice. Those of you whose spells were orange, get them up to red or yellow. Red and yellow, work up to purple or green. Purple and green, work for blue. Blue, try for brighter. Harry and Felicia, no homework. Class dismissed."

We filed out the door towards the Great Hall. We were half way down the first flight of stairs when a voice called, "Hey! Wait up!" We turned, following the Marauders' lead, to see Lily and Mum hurrying forward.

"Teach us how to do that!" Mum said, coming closer. I was going to have to start thinking of her and Dad as Alice and Frank; otherwise, I might slip up and accidentally call them Mum and Dad.

"Do what?" Ron asked, acting confused.

"Teach us to cast the spell like that! It was amazing!" Lily said excitedly.

"Should we?" Harry asked through the bond.

"Might as well," Hermione responded. "It'll give us some practice, too. We might even form a new DA."

"Sure, we'll teach you," Harry said. "Anything we can, too. It's a war. Everyone needs to know as much as they can. I'm actually a little shocked that they haven't taught that spell in Defense or something."

"Defense is mostly theory this year," Lily said, sounding sad. "It's hardly any spell work. We're supposed to just automatically get it by reading about it in a textbook."

"Lets go to lunch and talk about it," Alice said. I was suddenly struck by how _young_ they all were, and how much they would be forced to see before James, Lily, and Sirius would die, and Alice wouldn't be…herself anymore.

"Alright," Ron agreed readily. I swear, he is _always_ hungry.

"Harry, I'll meet you as soon as you're done. We're going to have to go to the library," Hermione said, a gleam in her eye. Harry looked as if he wanted to protest, but decided against it.

"Why? You two don't even have any homework yet!" Sirius exclaimed. "Why on earth would you want to go to the library?"

"Because we have spells to look up and plans to make," Hermione said, with the air of one stating the obvious. "Lets go eat." She headed off in the direction of the Great Hall.

"You're just going to let her drag you to the library?" James asked Harry, dumbfounded. He apparently knew enough, however, to not say anything when Hermione could hear.

"It saves time," Harry shrugged, following Hermione. If I agree to go to the library with 'Licia right off, she'll find what she's looking for sooner and let me go do what I want to do."

"I guess that makes sense," Peter said. We continued to the Great Hall in silence. Harry broke off for the Slytherin table. I had almost forgot he wasn't in Gryffindor. Seems I wasn't the only one.

"Oh yeah, I forgot he was a Slytherin," Sirius sighed. "And I was really starting to like him." He sat down at the Gryffindor table. Ginny was already there, and, upon closer inspection of the Ravenclaw table, I discovered Luna was as well.

"What difference does that make?" I asked. I seemed to be the only one who didn't get it. Ron and Ginny just glanced at each other knowingly.

"All Slytherins are evil," was all that Sirius could say.

"No, they're not," I said, thinking of Blaise Zabini, Millicent Bulstrode, and now Harry. I could see him at the Slytherin table, talking to Snape of all people.

"Nope, all evil," Sirius replied. He started eating.

"And why are they all evil?" I asked.

"They just are. Trust me on this one," Sirius said. Just then, Remus came in and sat down.

"Hey. She finally let me out of the hospital wing," he said, piling food on his plate. "Where are Felicia and Harry?"

At that moment, Harry stood up from the Slytherin table, nodded to Snape, who was apparently saying something, and walked over to Hermione at the Ravenclaw table. She nodded and stood up as he approached. She said something to Luna, who shook her head, and then they both came towards us.

"Do any of you want to go to the library with us?" Hermione asked. Everyone but Remus frowned at the mere thought of the place.

"Do you need someone to show you the way?" Remus asked.

"No, but you're more than welcome to come," Harry said.

"I'll stay here for a bit, then, and meet you up there," Remus said, turning back to his food.

"Alright," Hermione said, turning to follow Harry, who had already set off towards the doors.

Just as they reached the doors, Snape joined them from the Slytherin table. Sirius made a noise that sounded a lot like "See? Evil," before turning back to his meal. Ron, Ginny, and I just rolled our eyes.

Author's Note: I wasn't sure if I was going to answer the reviews, but then I wanted to answer some, and decided I might as well.

starchild9867: Yeah, meeting his dad came as a bit of a shock, didn't it? hehe. Meeting Lily wasn't quite as big a deal, although we still haven't read Harry's reaction...

Bewittching: Glad you like it so much! Thanks for the encouragement! As long as it looks like I've got at least one review per chapter, I'm not too upset. lol

Charlottay: Thank you! And I don't like some of the really odd names, either.

runnerz: Is this any better? It was just a few sentences over 8 pages. Thanks for reviewing!

Shunnow: Yeah, it was kinda supposed to be like that, although it won't be the same events, for the most part. I've got some planned that will have two points of view, but, although I'm still switching points of view, they won't _usually_ be of the same events. Your first review in 2 years? I'm honored.

aruui: Like I said above, I'm not always doing the same events through 2 different points of view, although I will be using lots of view points. But, it will be two points of view for things I consider important, like the arrival. Thanks for reviewing!

numbah 14: Thank you for your review! Ah, well, he has quite a bit else going for him, SOMETHING had to go wrong!

no name: Thanks for your review, and thanks for your input on the Dumbledore question!

little bits: Well, I'm not going to take it off anymore. Thanks for your review!

Now, for an important question. Should there be romance in this story? If so, should it be slash or not? You can even tell me what ships you want, too, but that doesn't mean I'll use them. There are some I really like, and some I can't stand, but you can still tell me. You never know, you might have a favorite that's a favorite of mine, too! Anyway,please review!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own...wait for it...NOTHING! Well, except for stuff you don't recognize...

Author's Note: Gosh, this seems to take forever. Well, actually, this chapter didn't take that long. I was working on the next chapter for Out of Our Hands, and I'm having severe writers block for that story. I think I got past it, though, so the next chapter for that should be up soon. In the here and now, however, I give to you...

Heart's Desire

Chapter 5

-----Severus's Point of View-----

I have no idea why I'm being nice to Harry Granger and, by association, his friends and sister. Although, if they want to spend their lunch hour in the library, they can't be too bad. There is just _something_ about him that pulls people towards him. He's got a certain charisma that almost anyone would be jealous of.

"So do you know any tracking or invisibility spells that would work?" Harry was asking Felicia.

"Not really. I guess that's just something else we can look for, isn't it?" Felicia said. "What all are you going to teach them?"

"Well, I guess we'll teach them the shield spells, the Patronus charm, and definitely work on aim, especially with the under estimated spells, like the Disarming charm."

"For starters, that's fine," Felicia said. Then, what Harry had said sunk in completely.

"You can do the Patronus charm?" I blurted out. "And just who are you going to be teaching?"

"Yes, I can perform the Patronus charm. We're teaching Lily Evans and Alice Glenshee, for certain. Anyone else who wants to come is welcome. And before you ask, since I was 13, and defensive spells," Harry grinned.

"What are the tracking and invisibility spells for?" I asked suspiciously.

"A prank. James so foolishly challenged us to a prank war," Felicia grinned.

"And you accepted?" I was amazed. I'd never seen _anyone_ out-prank those four.

"Yeah. It was easy enough to turn the last prank on them, we figured we might as well," Harry smirked.

"What do you mean?"

"Harry was the one who put the firework in the cauldron," Felicia clarified.

"_You_ did that?"

"I can't take complete credit. If Sirius hadn't been trying to put it in our cauldron, it wouldn't have happened. I do need to apologize to Lily, though," Harry sad thoughtfully. "If I had known she was 2nd in Potions, I woulda let it drop in Sirius and Ron's cauldron, even if it _was_ James's idea."

"How do you know it was Potter's idea?"

"They whisper _way_ to loud," Harry grinned. By this time, we had arrived outside the library. We pushed open the doors and walked inside.

"Oh! Hello, Professor!" Felicia said, startled. I looked over to see Professor Dumbledore striding forward.

"Hello, Miss Granger, Mr. Granger, Mr. Snape," he said, smiling. "It's so nice to see students making good use of their free time, instead of leaving homework for the last minute." I saw Felicia give Harry a pointed look. Apparently, he liked to procrastinate.

"Actually, Professor, we aren't here for homework. Felicia and I wanted to look up some things, and Severus was nice enough to offer to show us the way up here," Harry said, shooting the Headmaster a smile I _knew_ I seen before. Suddenly, however, the smile vanished. "Professor, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't do that," Harry said, a cold look on his face.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Granger," Dumbledore said, an apologetic look on his face. "In times of war, we need to be sure who we can trust."

"And using Legilimency on an innocent student inspires trust?" Harry asked. "Although, not unsuspecting, I must say."

"Yes, I must compliment you on your skills. Where did you learn them?" Dumbledore asked, genuinely curious instead of the fake emotions that were usually present.

"That, Headmaster, is none of your business. Now, if you'll excuse us, we only have 30 minutes left," Harry said, a fake smile in place. He shoved passed the Headmaster, and out of sight. Felicia smiled apologetically and followed.

"Are you coming?" she asked me, turning back around. I nodded, and hurried after her.

"What was the Headmaster trying to do?" I asked, catching up to her. We continued deeper into the shelves of books, searching for Harry.

"Legilimency. It's kinda like reading minds, only its not. You can't see or hear what the person is or was thinking, but you can look at memories, and cause the person who's mind you're in to see them. You can feel all the feelings that went along with them. Voldemort is _very_ good at it. Have you ever heard about how he knows if a person is lying?" I nodded. I had heard lots of stories about it, but had assumed they were just stories. "It's because he can feel the dishonesty and nervousness. What Harry did to block it is called Occlumency. It keeps people out. He's fairly skilled at it when he wants to be. I've never had the need to learn, but according to him, there are three ways to use it. One way, which he says is the easiest to use but also the easiest to slip up with, is to project memories you deem of little importance, keeping the ones that you think the person is after well hidden. However, you could still give them clues, or exactly what they need if they're a decent actor. Another, which requires quite a bit of power, lets you actually throw the person out of your mind. That's what Harry did to the Headmaster. The third is the hardest, but usually gets the best results. You simply _don't think_. It makes them think they are doing something wrong." She paused. "Harry, damn it, if you don't come out right now, I'm throwing your new broomstick out into the Forest!"

Harry, somewhat sheepish, came out of one of the last rows we had looked down. "Sorry. But I'm here, so you can't take my broom."

"Whatever. Lets just look up some spells in the next 25 minutes," Felicia said, sitting her bag down by an empty table. "Now, where are the Defense books?"

For the next 15 minutes or so, we sat in relative silence. They were each pouting over a Defense book. I was _trying_ to figure out the charm we had learned today. I could get it eventually, but not without a lot of practice and research of the theory behind it. Charms, needless to say, did not come naturally. Potions were about the only thing that did. Arithmancy wasn't too bad, as I could figure that out and it didn't require a wand to get it. I was fine with most spells, however, after I had known them for a while.

"What do we have so far?" Harry asked suddenly. I glanced up to see Felicia looking at the piece of paper she had been writing on. Oddly enough, Harry didn't have one.

"Both Shield charms, Stunners, Full-body bind, Leg-locker curse, Disarming charm, Patronus Charm, Jelly Leg jinx, and that's about it so far. Of course, these are basic defensive books."

"Yeah, well, the basics are where you have to begin. It doesn't matter what you can cast if you can't aim," Harry pointed out. They lapsed into silence, staring at each other. Then, Harry shrugged. "If it gets like that, yeah." He said it as if they had been carrying on a conversation the entire time. 'It must be a twin thing,' I thought.

"Hi there," a voice called out from behind me.

"Hi!" Felicia called out, waving to someone approaching from behind me.

"Whatcha doing?" Remus Lupin asked, slinging his bag down across from me, next to Felicia.

"Looking up some defensive spells," Harry said, somewhat distracted. "What are you doing?" He finally looked up, shutting the book he had been going through. Felicia looked up at the noisy disapprovingly.

"Trying to figure out the shield charm that was taught today," Lupin sighed. "I can get the spells just fine if they're shown to me. If I have to figure them out on my own, though, I'm usually completely lost."

"We'll teach you," Harry offered. He was leaning back on the back legs of his chair, much to Felicia's obvious annoyance.

"Would you? That'd be great," Lupin said. He looked flustered, as if he was trying to think of something that he hadn't gotten done. "Crap, I still need another two inches for my Defense Against the Dark Arts essay!"

"What's the topic?" Felicia asked calmly.

"Avoiding the Killing curse," Lupin moaned. "I've said 'Dodge it' in everyway I can think of."

"Call a phoenix to you. If you don't have one bonded to you, showing great loyalty to a person who has one calls it to you as well. The phoenix can swallow the Killing curse. It causes the phoenix to burn, and be reborn from the ashes, but it's effective," Harry said, still leaning back on his chair. He was leaning against the wall, his eyes shut. If he hadn't just said something, I would have thought he had been napping.

"Are you sure that will work?" Lupin asked doubtfully. Harry nodded.

"Personal experience," was all he would give in explanation. Lupin started scribbling madly, trying to add as many adjectives as he thought he could get away with. It didn't really matter. Our Defense professor wouldn't actually grade the essays. She would assign us another chapter to read, glance at the essay, measure it, and then grade it based on the length. I once handed in an old Herbology report and got extra credit for the added length. Just then, the bell rang.

"So, what's next?" Harry asked.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts," Remus said, finishing his essay with a flourish. We stood and hurried towards the classroom.

-----Harry's Point of View-----

I was, quite frankly, worried. Don't get me wrong, everything had been going along fine until now. I still consider arriving on the full moon a blessing in disguise. Without that, we wouldn't have made such good friends with the Marauders. However, it was the fact that everything had been going so well that had me worried. Ron would have simply laughed if I would have told him, but if there's one thing that being the Boy-Who-Lived teaches you, it's that nothing is ever normal. Granted, most people wouldn't consider being 20 years in the past, going to school with your dead parents, along with some of your friends and their parents, not to mention the fact that we could and probably _would_ be attacked any day now. The teachers seemed a lot more jumpy in this time, even more so than right after they heard about the second rise of Voldemort. The only thing that would really make _sense_ is that they're expecting an attack.

We settled down in our seats, arriving about a minute ahead of James, Sirius, Neville, Ron, and Pettigrew. I had been trying to be polite, at least until I could think of a plausible reason not to like him. I had tried that with Snape and found out that, so long as he doesn't have any real way to associate me with the Marauders, he's not too bad.

We settled into our seats as the Professor walked in. She was tall, with limp brown hair and blue eyes that looked as if they'd seen everything and didn't want to see _any_ of it ever again.

"Class, today, we are going to watch a duel between two Aurors. Dumbledore demands that you see a real duel. Afterwards, if they're not too tired, they will duel with each of you. Anyone who actually manages to win will be awarded 100 house points. Auror Moody, Auror Podmore," the professor called. She hadn't introduced herself like the other professors had done.

Mad-Eye Moody and Sturgis Podmore immediately walked in and began dueling. It shocked most everyone. Hell, it shocked me a little, I was just able to hide it.

Eventually, Moody won and they started challenging students. I: was fairly confident. I had trained with the Mad-Eye of my time over the summer, and if anything, he had only sped up with age.

"Miss and Mr. Granger," Moody growled, beckoning Hermione and I forward.

We bowed, and the duels started. Hermione and I fell into a much-practiced pattern backs to each other with Moody and Podmore on either side of the room, Podmore dueling Hermione, Moody dueling me. Finally, I managed to get in a Disarming charm. I quickly stunned and bound Moody after catching his wand, and then turned to help Hermione. Within seconds, he was stunned and bound, Hermione having disarmed him, and I finished the work.

The professor seemed to be speechless. I walked over to Moody while Hermione approached Podmore. I awoke Moody before I untied him.

"You two will survive," he said grudgingly. "That's more than I can say about the way some of them duel." I grinned and untied him. He immediately tried to knock me over, which would have caused me to drop both wands. I was ready for it, however, and jumped back. Hermione, however, wasn't so lucky. I heard a soft 'Oh!' as she was knocked to the ground, and heard the stunner and binging charm. I quickly did the same to Moody only a moment after dodging his kick. I turned to see Podmore, two wands aimed at me.

"_Stupefy_!" he cried, apparently figuring I would be too stunned to do anything. Red light poured out of both wands.

"_Protego_ _Maximus_!" I whispered. The blinding light surrounded me just before the red light could make contact. They both rebounded back on Podmore, knocking him unconscious, which is something only multiple spells could do. Usually, the person is still aware, even if they don't look like it. I tied him up, and turned to face the Professor, who was still speechless.

"How'd I do?" I smirked. She just stared. I walked over and untied Hermione, then brought her out of the Stunner. Next, I woke Moody. "Do I win?" I smirked. He growled something that sounded like an affirmative. "I'll untie you, but when I do, you have to promise not to attack. If you do, I'll break your wand."

"Fine, fine," Moody growled, obviously not happy about being beaten by a student. "Miss Granger should get 90 points. She didn't beat Podmore on her own, but she was getting close. Mr. Granger should get 300 points. He beat us 3 times, after all." I grinned, and cast the counter to the binding charm from a good distance away, knowing full well that Moody still would have attacked me, even knowing I would break his wand. Well, he didn't really know that. With most people, that would be an idle threat. However, I had been in too many duels to not know how to follow through. "How did you know to dodge my second attack?"

"Constant vigilance," I grinned. I heard Neville, Ron, and Hermione laugh through the bond, knowing that if they had dared to do it out loud, they would have been in big trouble. I started towards my seat, but Moody called me back.

"I think the two of you should continue with the duels. I want to see how long it takes you to get tired," Moody said thoughtfully. I just nodded, walking back to the front. Hermione hadn't left yet. She had been trying to wake up Podmore, but without success. I walked over, adding my own '_Enervate_' to the mix, and he awoke. We untied him and, after some explaining, he went to stand with Moody.

"Next up, Miss Glenshee and Miss Evans," Moody growled. Lily and Alice seemed to be having a silent argument. I really don't know who lost, but I assume it was Alice, judging from the expression she wore as she came to face me. I grinned. She seemed even more wary.

None of the duels took long. Hermione and I kept our real power level hidden for most of the time, usually putting it on the same level as our opponent, at least until they grew cocky. After that, we quickly finished them. Lily had been Hermione's longest duel, while Remus had been mine. He had been called at the same time as Peter, and he had let Peter go to Hermione, apparently judging her as the less dangerous. Finally, Neville and Ron came up.

"Should we give them a show?" I asked through the bond.

"Sure, why not?" Ron smirked. He would be dueling with me. Hermione and Neville both nodded.

"Sir, what spells are we allowed to use?" I asked Moody. He thought about the question for a second.

"I suppose anything that isn't illegal. However, are you sure you want to be messing with darker curses and such?"

"Sir, this class is to teach us how to fight for our lives against dark magic, correct?" I asked. Moody nodded, awaiting my next point. "In a fight for your life, nothing is dark. Anything you can think of can be used, so long as it's not illegal. The only thing stopping you should be your conscience, not your pre-conceived notions of good and evil. If you've never seen dark curses, you can never fight dark curses."

"Excellent point, Granger," Moody smiled. He looked even more sinister. "Anything that's not illegal, then."

"Of course, that still isn't like a duel with a Death Eater," I said thoughtfully. "They don't stick to legal curses. Whatever. Lets begin." Ron and I bowed to each other, as did Hermione and Neville. We were still going to keep it down, not revealing how powerful we really were. However, we were going to give them one hell of a show, using what would appear to be nonverbal spells and wandless magic. The nonverbal spells would be said through the bond, while the wandless magic was part illusion, part real. We could all do enough to untie ourselves and summon our wand. That was the most they could do. I could do more, however.

We started dueling. All that was coming through the bond were whispers. In a real duel with a Death Eater, we could yell however loudly we wanted. However, in this duel, and most of our practice duels, we whispered.

Suddenly, Ron smirked. "_Accio sword_!" he cried. I dove out of the way, just in time to avoid being pierced through the middle.

I echoed his spell. Conjuring up a brick wall, I turned and caught it. It was Godric Gryffindor's sword, the one I had pulled from the Sorting Hat. Professor Dumbledore had given it to me when we had begun the training with swords. We continued dueling, shooting spells and swinging swords.

"_Legilimens_!" I cried. Ron tried to dodge, but it didn't work. I saw lots of memories, most of which I had seen before. I had learned what a valuable dueling spell this was after I had tried it in a duel with Hermione. She had become lost in her memories, and it was easy after that.

I quickly stunned and bound Ron, taking his wand, even though I knew it wouldn't do any good if he woke up. I turned to watch the end of Neville and Hermione's duel. Neville had managed to conjure some kind of plant that was taking most of Hermione's blows. She managed to get a Full-Body Bind through, however, and he went down. She shot snake-like ropes out of her wand, and turned around. The class, Aurors, and teacher just stared.

"I think that was too big a show," Hermione whispered. None the less, it carried throughout the entire classroom. The bell rang, startling everyone out of their thoughts as they started gathering their things for the next class. Hermione and I were untying Ron and Neville when Moody and Podmore walked over.

"Just where did you learn to do that?" Podmore asked, clearly impressed. That was probably saying something. He looked like a fairly new Auror, who still thought of himself as invincible. Well, maybe not anymore, but he had thought that until the duel with Hermione and I.

"Our old school," Hermione shrugged. "We've had lots of dueling lessons."

"Alastor Moody," Mad-Eye said, offering his hand. "Most people call me Mad-Eye. This is Sturgis Podmore."

"Harry Granger," I said, shaking his hand. "This is my twin sister, Felicia. These are Ron Welker and Neville Jones. Ron's little sister Ginny and our friend Laura Anderson, both fifth years, are here as well."

"Well, we are here to scout new talents for our Auror training program," Moody said, examining the four. "You were definitely the best duelers in this class. We would like to offer you each the chance to become an Auror after your seventh year."

"That's very kind of you," Hermione smiled. "However, we will have to go back to our old town, and help defend it from Voldemort." Ron and Neville flinched, as did Podmore. Moody didn't flinch, but he didn't look happy that she had said is name.

"What town is it?" Moody asked.

"That information can't be given freely," Ron said. "It's not that we don't trust you, but just about everything has ears, especially at Hogwarts."

"Fine," Moody said, although the expression on his face said it was anything but.

"Good," I said before he could say anything else. "We need to go. We've got another free period, we're going to the library." I waltzed out of the room, followed by the others.

"You're going back to the library?" James asked. They had apparently been waiting outside the door.

"Yes. You don't have to come if you don't want to," Hermione grinned. "We're just looking up some defensive spells. I think we'll be able to find it on our own."

"Nah, we'll come with you," Remus said before the others could answer. The others didn't look completely happy with that, but decided not to complain. We walked to the library as one big group, and sat down at a table in the back. We picked out several defense books and got to work.

Author's Note: Well, how was that? Thanks for reading. Now that you've done that, REVIEW! hehe. Also, tell me your opinions on relationships for this fic. I've got some ideas, but... Do you want het, slash, or is it fine how it is? Anyway, tell me in a review!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own next to nothing, just the stuff you don't recognize.

Author's Note: I'm way too nice. Two updates within just a few minutes of each other. Oh well. I've got to keep ahead, school starts in two days. No, wait, it's after midnight! School starts tomorrow! NNOO! hehe. Here's the next chapter...

Heart's Desire

Chapter 6

-----Back in the Present-----

"Sir?" Snape said, entering Dumbledore's office.

"Yes, Severus?" Dumbledore asked, glancing up.

"I just came to tell you that the Dark Lord now knows that Potter and his friends have gone back in time. He has decided that makes me a 'most trusted servant' and is taking me back with him, as well as Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange, Wormtail, and a few others. I am here to pack my bags and ask for a vacation. If I don't get it, I'm actually supposed to quit. I will be apparating back to the headquarters soon."

"Thank you, Severus. Once you get there, send a note to the students from this time, telling them about your arrival. And I give you all the vacation time you need," Dumbledore smiled. His eyes didn't twinkle nearly as bright as usual, however. "That is all, you are more than welcome to leave." Snape merely nodded and walked back down the stairs.

-----Peter's Point of View-----

I don't think the new kids like me very much. I don't get what it is, but they hardly say anything to me. The entire way to Muggle Studies this morning, I tried to get Neville to talk to me, but he would only give me one-word answers. They don't really direct questions to me. I guess it's because I'm not confident and smart and good looking like the rest of them.

"I guess we should go down to dinner now," Sirius said, glancing down at his watch.

"Alright," I quickly agreed. I really didn't like to disagree with them. After all, they're smarter than me, right? They're definitely more powerful than me. Of course, these new kids seem to be more powerful than Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs, maybe I should start hanging out with them more. Of course, Harry is a _Slytherin_. Everyone knows they're no good.

We put up all of the extra books and walked down to the Great Hall. James and Sirius were bickering about Quidditch, while Ron and Harry listened, asking for them to explain some of their more…exaggerated terms. Felicia and Remus were discussing the shield that we had learned today in Charms. That left me and Neville. He didn't seem to mind not talking to somebody, but it was driving me crazy.

"What's your favorite subject?" I asked, having decided against several other topics.

"Herbology," he said, without hesitation. "Some years it's been Defense Against the Dark Arts, too, but not lately. It doesn't look like it will be this year, if the teacher acts that way in every lesson."

Yay! That's the longest answer I've got out of him yet! "Why do you like Herbology?"

"Because I'm good at it," he said, without hesitation.

"Oh come on. I saw your Charms and your Defense Against the Dark Arts, not to mention how much you knew about muggles in Muggle studies. Your good at all of it," I said in disbelief.

"Do you know how much work it took to get that way in Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Neville asked. I shook my head. "The first time I cast that shield charm, it came out only a little less orange than yours did today. The first time I actually fought, I didn't exactly win. In fact, my wand ended up snapped. I'm not talking about a pretend fight, like the one in class today," he said, noticing my disbelieving expression. "I'm talking about a _real_ fight. With Death Eaters."

"You must not have done too bad if you're still standing here talking to me," I pointed out.

"Yeah, he likes to forget to mention that, besides me, he was the only one of us still standing and sane," a voice said before Neville could say anything. "And I don't really count, since it wasn't my first fight." I glanced over to Harry, who had an odd mixture of emotions flitting across his face.

"Lets go eat," Ron said, successfully changing the topic. We entered the Great Hall, and split up. Harry walked over to the Slytherin table. Oh yeah. That's why I don't like him. He's a Slytherin. It's amazing how easy it is to forget that, except at meal times and when he wins points. Honestly, 300 to Slytherin, just because he beat a couple of Aurors. Okay, so no one before him could do it. No one after them even had a chance. Maybe it takes a lot out of you to lose, or maybe the Aurors had been overconfident, and didn't want to lose _again_.

These thoughts whorled around in my head as we made our way over to the Gryffindor table. Felicia had long since separated for the Ravenclaw table, and she was seated next to a girl I hadn't really talked to, Laura Anderson. They were talking animatedly. It seemed that Felicia was describing the Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. I could see Professor Rainey whispering to Professor Slughorn about what she had witnessed in the Defense lesson. Professor Slughorn was nodding slightly, an odd gleam in his eye. No one else seemed to notice, however, because James, Sirius, Remus, Lily, and Alice had all started peppering Neville and Ron with questions.

"How did you learn to duel like that?" Remus asked, admiration apparent in his voice.

"It's nothing," Ron said, blushing slightly. Neville seemed embarrassed beyond words.

"Where did you learn those nonverbal spells?" Lily asked in awe. This time, neither answered.

"Will you be teaching us that, too?" Alice asked.

"Really, you should be asking Harry or Felicia that," Neville said, staring at his plate.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked, curiously.

"He means that they'll be the two really teaching you. Harry is an excellent teacher, he can make almost anyone listening, and he knows some interesting curses for if you don't. Felicia is a bookworm, to put it simply. She can remember about anything, too. She'll look up what he teaches. We're kinda just along for the ride," Ron shrugged.

"Now you know that's not true," a voice from behind me said. I turned around to see Harry staring at Ron and Neville with an odd look on his face.

"Yeah, it is," Ron protested. It appeared they'd had this argument before.

"No, it's not," Harry said. He motioning for James to scoot down, and seated himself between James and me.

"Fine, whatever," Ron said abruptly. "Lets go play quidditch." Harry nodded, and they walked out of the Great Hall.

"Should we follow them?" James asked. I could see his eyes light up at the thought of quidditch.

"Something tells me it would be better not to," Remus said, rolling his eyes.

-----A place far, far away-----

-----Good old **Voldy's** point of view------

"Send out a messenger," I said, my red eyes glinting in the newly started fire. We had just managed to arrive, using a very old spell. I was lucky Dumbledore trusted Snape so much. It was a pity part of the goal was to kill the man off before he had a chance to turn double agent. There were going to be quite a few corrected mistakes. I'm not as big a fool as Dumbledore seems to take me for. I know damn well that the old coot had found the one loophole in the debt owed. Of course, now that the debt had been repaid, I had no more hold over Dumbledore. Except, of course, that some of Dumbledore's favorite students were going to die now, some before they even had a chance to be born.

"To yourself in this time, my Lord?" Lucius Malfoy asked. Honestly, the man's brains had definitely been addled during his brief stay in Azkaban. I, myself, don't mind Dementors all that much. I find it quite amusing what they do to others.

"No, to the Easter Bunny." I rolled my eyes. "Of course to myself in this time. _Crucio_!" Lucius withered on the floor with pain for a few seconds before I lifted the curse. If nothing else, his 3-month stay in Azkaban made him more immune to pain. You really had to admire someone like Bellatrix Lestrange, who could stay in Azkaban for years and not be completely sane. As much as I hate to admit it, you have to admire her cousin, too. From what I have heard, he wasn't insane at all. Maybe Blacks are just immune to it. Or, maybe, and much more probably, they're all so insane when they go in, it doesn't make much difference. Yes, that one makes me feel better. After all, I'm the only one immune to the effects of Dementors.

All of the Death Eaters had rushed from the room. I've no real idea why. I mean, after all, it doesn't take seven people to find an owl and write a letter.

-----The other Voldemort's point of view-----

"Get that god damn owl," I hissed to a Death Eater who had been standing near by. I can't stand that incessant pecking on the windows that they do.

"My Lord, it's a letter!" the Death Eater exclaimed.

"Really now?" I asked sarcastically. The Death Eater seemed to miss the sarcasm, for he nodded. "_Crucio_!" The Death Eater withered in pain at my feet.

"Open it," I hissed to Evan Rosier. He nodded, and unrolled the parchment.

We request a meeting with your most esteemed self. We have some news that would be very interesting. We would like to speak to you today at midnight. If you don't respond or decline the offer, we will meet you at midnight today anyway.

Sincerely,

Your most faithful servants

"What the hell?" I thundered. I started putting the Cruciatus curse on random Death Eaters. "If these 'most faithful servants' think they can order me around, they've got another thing coming!"

-----Ron's Point of View-----

'That was a good night's sleep,' I thought, stretching as I sat up in bed. 'I definitely needed that. Going that long without sleep is _not_ something that should be done often. Now I'm kinda glad Mum made us clean so much. We'd stay up all night and then have to stay up all day. It really helps.'

I looked around the dorm and was more than a little shocked to see so many beds. 'Oh right. Different time.' Going that long without sleeps tends to make you forget things. Neville was awake and reading a Herbology book. Remus was awake as well.

"Are you going to Hogsmeade today?" Remus asked, glancing up from a roll of parchment he was reading.

"Yeah," I replied without thinking. I began to dig out some clothes, preparing to get ready for the day.

"Oh, so you actually eat breakfast on Saturday mornings?" Remus asked, grinning. "They all think it's a waste of good sleeping time." He was motioning towards the three lumps that were still sleeping.

"Ah, as nice as sleep is, you need food just as much, if not more," I replied, grinning as well. Neville tried to hide a laugh, but it didn't quite work.

"Oh? What was that?" I teased, glancing over to him.

"I said 'Lets go to breakfast,'" Neville said, standing up.

"Nev, I'd love to, but you're still in your pajamas."

Five minutes later, we were hurrying down to the Great Hall. We entered to see Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Luna sitting at the Ravenclaw table. I guess they had been hoping to eat early enough to avoid the rush. We sat down next to them. The Ravenclaw table was practically deserted, anyway, so we figured it wouldn't hurt.

Suddenly, Remus exclaimed, "Oh! I knew there was something I forgot to do!" With that, he hurried out of the Great Hall, leaving six plainly wrapped candies behind.

"So that was their brilliant idea?" Hermione asked doubtfully, picking up a candy.

"I think we're underestimating them," Luna said serenely. She picked up the other five when no one else made a move towards them.

"You didn't hear them in the Hospital Wing," Neville pointed out. "They sounded pretty final."

"Whatever you think," Luna said, spooning some scrambled eggs onto her plate. "I still don't think they would plan their attack where their enemy could hear."

Suddenly, an owl flew in, driving all thoughts of pranks from our mind.

"Who in this time would owl us?" Harry asked quietly, eyeing the parchment.

"Do you recognize the handwriting?" I asked. Everyone shook their heads.

"Be ready," Harry said, cautiously unrolling the parchment.

162311111**8**2419,

**1118129 2121113 11182320318. 201242123 2119232 21181312181412. 2326161111131722, 16111823912, 72311126, 21912231125202, 1115226921, 21202018. 2311982123 12123201917. 1821 11223126 212520132324118 201120221119 31223112. 517191912319221 1512 21171623 71811 225211718 12220 21171623. **

13135528341521

"Hmm. I wonder who that's from," Hermione said. She was reading the letter beside Harry. "Oh. Snape."

"Great," I muttered. "Of all the Order members to get sent here to help and it has to be Snape. How on earth are we supposed to read that, anyway?"

"Well, it's actually quite easy," Hermione said. She would think so. She had help come up with it. "You see, you simply have to remember what number is assigned to what letter, and then put the Fibinoci sequence, written where the signature goes, in order. Then, you can put the sentences back in order, and then the words, and then the letters. You can tell that either the first or second comes first, although I would assume it's the second, as the first would make it slightly easier to guess. Then comes the fourth thing, because there is no 37 in the sequence. _Then_," she started, but Harry cut her off.

" 'Lic, I completely get that you like to feel smarter than the rest of us, and that you think it's great fun to decode all of this, however, there is a spell that you and Remus invented for this purpose exactly," Harry pointed out.

"And what purpose is that?" Hermione asked.

"In case someone who doesn't know how to read it, gets the message," Harry said calmly.

"It wouldn't do any good," I pointed out. "We haven't been told the spell yet."

"Well, lets correct that," Harry said. He mumbled the spell words, just loud enough for the rest of us to here, and shot a jet of scarlet light at the parchment. Now, it made much more sense:

Scarhead,

Attack on Hogwarts early April. PARENTS MAIN GOAL. Malfoy, Grayback, Avery, McNair, Nott, Wormtail. Joining other Lord. Tell Dumbledore, even if cover blown. Direct orders.

1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55

"Did you all read it?" Harry asked after a few moments. We nodded, and he muttered the counter, which changed the entire thing back to the original form.

"Well, lets go to Dumbledore," Luna said, standing up.

"Right now?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Of course. The longer we delay, the less believable this is going to be. And lets face it, it's already pretty far fetched." With that, Harry and Hermione stood up, and headed towards the Head table. The rest of us would have gone with them, but they were the only ones done eating. It was really weird how Harry would eat. He could be full after whatever amount, if he wanted to, so long as, at some point fairly soon, he could actually eat his fill. They made sure to talk through the bond, as well, so that the rest of us could hear what was being said.

"Oh, hello Harry, Felicia," Dumbledore said as they approached. "To what do I owe the honor?"

"Sir, we need to talk to you as soon as possible," Hermione said, matter-of-factly.

"Well, if it's a problem with the school, I'm sure you can talk about it here," Dumbledore said pleasantly.

"Sir, it's not school business," Harry said, just as pleasantly. He leaned closer, so only Dumbledore and Hermione could really hear, plus the rest of us through the bond. "The information is on need-to-know bases, and they don't need to know." He leaned back, watching the Headmaster's reaction. We had learned some of the Order codes about mid-summer. They were to be used to be recognized and the like. That one was one of the oldest. Most of them had been changed, and some, like the code, invented. We could tell, even from the Ravenclaw table, that Dumbledore got the point.

"If you would follow me to my office, I'd be more than happy to talk with you," he said, staying as calm and collected as ever. At a quick glance, anyway. McGonagall looked up, startled at his change of plans.

"Are you sure, Dumbledore?" she asked. She hadn't heard what Harry had said. "After all, if it concerns a problem with the school, we should all hear about it."

"No, Minerva, this one I'll have to take in my office. Now, follow me. I assume that the other four are coming as well?"

"Yes sir," Hermione replied. We immediately jumped up from our seats, knowing full well that Dumbledore was either going to walk over towards us or call us over anyway. He did look slightly surprised that we had stood up already, but he appeared to shrug it off. I had too much experience with those looks, however, and knew it would be asked about, and the answer given, even if he had to resort to Legilimency.

We walked in silence the entire way to Dumbledore's office. He didn't even give the password to the gargoyle, it simply leapt aside. I had only seen that once before, and that was immediately following the first battle of the year. We had definitely been the loser in that one, no matter what the Daily Prophet liked to tell people.

"Now, first things first, how do you know Order codes? Second, just what is so important that you have to use that particular one? No one but the most trusted members know it," Dumbledore said, after we had all taken seats and been offered tea and lemon drops.

"Well, sir, it just so happens that I'm in the Order," Harry said calmly. "We all are, as a matter of fact. I'm also one of the most trusted, if not _the_ most trusted, of all the Order members."

"None of you are Order members, and you certainly aren't one of the most trusted. All of those members live in the highest security places they can to still do their job. I know where each of them are at the moment. You aren't one of them," Dumbledore pointed out.

"Yes, he is," Ginny answered calmly. It was amazing how they could do that. If it had been me talking, I probably would have been yelling, or at the very least upset. Harry, through his Occlumency training, Ginny, through natural deception, and Hermione, through hard work, were all _very_ good at disguising their emotions. Obviously they were, how else could they get along with the likes of Snape and Wormtail in this time and not go crazy? Actually, it seemed like I was the only one really affected. With Luna, nothing much _seemed_ to get to her. I guess she's a little like Ginny; she can hide her emotions fairly well through natural deception. Neville just doesn't let stuff get to him. I have hardly ever seen him riled up. I, on the other hand,… I tuned in to hear Dumbledore talking again.

"I insist you tell me this very instant, or I shall have to take some regrettably extreme measures," he was saying. The rest looked very calm and collected. I happen to know for a fact that I wouldn't look nearly as calm as they did if I knew what he was talking about.

"'Mione, you can probably explain it best," Harry sighed.

"Wait a second," Dumbledore said, holding up his hand. " 'Mione? Isn't your name Felicia?"

"No, sir, it's Hermione Granger," Hermione blushed.

"Why did you go by Felicia, then?"

"Because you would recognize me next time we meet. Hermione isn't exactly a common name. However, it doesn't matter anymore."

"Why couldn't you use a different name then?"

"Because I would be eleven and not know any better; not know that you had met me before," Hermione said, pseudo-patiently.

"What?" Dumbledore asked. This was the first time I had seen him confused.

"What they're trying not to tell you, Headmaster," Luna said, tearing her gaze away from a particularly shiny silver instrument on a nearby table that was flickering in the firelight. "Is that we're from the future."

Author's Note: Well, you've read, now review! And, as I said, school starts tomorrow, so I don't know for sure when I'll be updating next. However, the next chapter is already started, so it might not be too long! Maybe even still today! Ah, I don't think so. Anyway, enough of my ramblings. REVIEW! And still tell me about the relationship issue...


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own next to nothing. Most of this is JKR's.

Author's Note: A new chapter, just for you! hehe. I decided to update now, because I have no idea when I'll be able to update again.

There was a question as to why they would obliviate Dumbledore. I couldn't find it when I went back to look for it, so this answer may change, but not everyone needs to know about the future. There are only certain people they were supposed to tell. That was also part of why they showed up in disguises. Dumbledore didn't _need_ to know they were from the future, only the Marauders and Lily. Dumbledore knowing happened because of Voldemort coming back, nothing else. If Voldemort hadn't come back, Dumbledore wouldn't have been directly told. They could obliviate him if needed for this reason. And yes, they will go back to a changed future. Their memories aren't changing, however, because they're just that: memories. They're what has happened to that group. In the time they're in, their school years are the future, so they don't know anything more about them than anyone else.

Now that that's out of the way, on with the story!

Heart's Desire

Chapter 7

-----Ginny's Point of View-----

"Perhaps I misheard you, Miss Anderson," Dumbledore started.

"It's Miss Lovegood," Luna interrupted.

"Miss Lovegood," Dumbledore continued. "You couldn't have really said you were from the future."

"Of course I did. Why would I lie when I don't have to?" Luna asked bluntly. That's what I've always liked about her. The ability to be brutally honest when necessary.

"Why have you lied to me this far?" Dumbledore returned. He had a point.

"Sir, would you like to give me Veritaserum?" Harry asked.

"You know as well as I do that can be over-ridden by an accomplished Occlumens or a powerful wizard. I believe you are both," Dumbledore said.

"So use it on one of us," I suggested. "We're absolutely rubbish at Occlumency."

"I believe that you're very powerful as well," Dumbledore said. "I know that Alastor Moody told me before he left that I had to make sure to get you four-" he motioned to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville. "-on our side as soon as possible. It's also been reported by every teacher that you have had today that you all seem to be at levels far above the rest of your year."

"Alright, then use Legilimency on one of us," I continued. Dumbledore seemed to think about that for a moment, and then nodded.

"Which one of you will volunteer?" he asked. I raised my hand before anyone else could. "Alright, Ginny, I believe it is?" I nodded, making eye contact before he could ask for it or anything else. I could feel him invade my mind, and at the same time could feel Harry through the bond. Dumbledore wouldn't find out more than he had to, that was for sure. I saw, projected by Harry, the meeting with Dumbledore before we came back, the landing in the Forest, the first time I saw Order headquarters, not to mention meeting Sirius. I saw the battle in the Department of Mysteries. I saw last Christmas, which, in this time, had yet to come, seeing as it was November. I saw the training from over the summer, and how it had continued into the school year. I saw scenes from every battle from this school year, and felt the horror, sadness, and sickness that I always got when looking at the battlefield after the final curse had been flung. I saw the first Order meeting I was allowed to attend, and felt the pride replace the horror. I saw the first DA meeting.

"Do you believe us now?" I asked as Dumbledore pulled back. I wasn't feeling too good. Having one person in your mind is bad enough, but having two…

"Yes, I do," he was forced to admit. "How did you know one of the Order codes?"

"I told you already. In our time, I'm a fairly important Order member," Harry shrugged. "That's not important. What is important is-" Dumbledore interrupted.

"Mr. Granger, I believe I'll be the judge of what's important," he said.

"First, it's Potter, not Granger." If Dumbledore was surprised by this, he didn't show it. "Second, if you think a second Voldemort is less important than how I became a top Order member, that's your call. Keep in mind that the new Voldemort is much more powerful than the one you're used to. However, if you'd rather have your question answered first…" he trailed off.

"Tell me about the other Voldemort," Dumbledore said, looking extremely worried. "Wait. You mean that he's remained for 20 more years?"

"Not completely," Hermione answered. "There was a 13 year break. In Ministry records, there was a 14 year break."

"How do you know Voldemort is here?" Dumbledore asked. Harry threw the letter across the desk. "Just what does this say?" he asked, staring at the seemingly random arrangement of numbers. And, to everyone in the room but Harry and Hermione, it was.

"Oh, right," Harry said. He pointed his wand at the paper and used the spell he had used earlier to translate the numbers into words.

"Who are some of these people?" Dumbledore asked. "Some I can figure out, such as Malfoy, but I've never heard of Greyback or Wormtail. And who sent this?"

"Greyback is the leader of the werewolves aligned with You-Know-Who," Neville answered. "He has turned more people into werewolves than any other. I'm positive you're seen his work. In our time, he enjoys the taste of human flesh so much that he doesn't wait for the full moon to attack. He's managed to convince almost the entire werewolf population to side with Voldemort."

"Wormtail is the rat who betrayed my parents," Harry said calmly. Uh-oh. A 'calm' Harry isn't a good thing. "He also goes by Peter Pettigrew." Dumbledore's eyes widened significantly.

"I never would have thought it of the boy," he said sadly.

"You and the rest of the wizarding world," Ron said. "Not only did he manage to frame someone else and send that person to Azkaban for 12 years before he escaped, he faked his own death, taking quite a few muggles with him." He glanced at his watch. "We should be going. It's almost time to go to Hogsmeade, and we have to keep up appearances." Dumbledore nodded absently, and we filed out of the room, probably leaving him with more questions than answers.

We came down the staircase behind the gargoyle in time to see four figures dart down the hall. Figuring it was simply students late for Hogsmeade, we really didn't think much of it. That is, until we actually stepped out into the hall.

The prank had to be on a timer. That's the only thing I can think of that would have made it delay until we were all in the hall. Suddenly, we all sprouted feathers of varying colors. Harry's were black and silver. Hermione's was blue and red. Ron's were green and yellow, while Neville's were orange and white. Mine were pink and purple, and Luna's were rainbow colored. I opened my mouth to say something, but, instead of words, a loud 'caw' escaped. Hermione dug in her pocket until she found the candy she had picked up at breakfast. She popped it in her mouth. The feathers didn't disappear, but she could speak. Luna grinned and gave out the candies she had picked up. Soon, we could all speak again, even though we were still covered in feathers.

"Do you think a Canary Cream will work?" I asked as we started walking down the corridors, getting not just a few strange looks.

"It's worth a try," Luna shrugged. She pulled one out of her pocket and took a huge bite. She instantly turned into a bright yellow canary, and then molted almost immediately after. All of the feathers were on the ground, not just the yellow ones. She started sifting through them for ones she really liked while the rest of us split what remained of the Canary Cream. We were all turned into canaries, but turned back minus the feathers.

"How did you do that?" a voice called. We turned around to see the Marauders looking at us in surprise.

"If two or more similar transfiguration spells are used, the last one takes hold and can cancel out the ones before," Hermione responded, sounding, as usual, as if she had swallowed a textbook.

"I didn't know that," Sirius said, sounding surprised.

"Well, now you do," Hermione grinned. "Can we go to the bookstore?" she continued as we started walking again.

The day continued like a typical day in Hogsmeade. That night, however, we were going to hold the first meeting of the new (or is it old?) DA.

Hermione posted a notice on the doors to the Great Hall. It was charmed so only people who wouldn't fight for Voldemort could read it. This didn't mean that people like Snape, who would start out as a Death Eater and turn to the Order, couldn't read it. This also didn't mean that people like Regulus Black, who would become a Death Eater but would try to get out before he died, couldn't read it. It _did_ mean that Peter Pettigrew, who would become a faithful Death Eater, couldn't read it.

We hurried through dinner so that we could get to the Room of Requirement first, and get it set up. We finally finished by the time the first people started arriving.

-----Lily's Point of View-----

I am _so_ excited! Harry, Felicia, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Laura are _finally_ going to teach us more Defense Against the Dark Arts. That's almost all Alice and I talked about during dinner. We heard some others in the hall talking about it as well. The Marauders, minus Peter, looked almost as thrilled as I know Alice and I looked. We finished eating in record time for us, especially since we had barely quit talking long enough to chew and swallow. We hurried up to the seventh floor, to a door across from a tapestry of someone getting clubbed by trolls. I had never seen the door before. We walked inside, and were amazed by what we saw

There, in the center of the room, was a huge dueling platform. Along every wall were bookshelves, filled with a variety of things. Most were books on the Dark Arts and Defense Against them, Potions, Healing, Transfiguration, and Charms. There were lots of silver instruments. There were also all kinds of muggle weapons. I could recognize several kinds of guns, swords, and daggers. There were also bottles of healing salves and potions.

As we entered, we also saw Harry and Ron on the dueling platform, fighting with swords. I quickly noticed that they weren't the same swords as had been used in Defense Against the Dark Arts class yesterday. They continued to duel as more students filed in, in groups of twos and threes. I was amazed to see some of them there. I never would have thought that Severus Snape would have come, but he was there, along with two other Slytherins, Dorcas Meadowes and Regulus Black. They were the only Slytherins there. That didn't really surprise me. Those three were fairly good friends, and did almost everything together, even though Regulus was two years younger than the other two. There were members of every house there, even if those three were the only Slytherins.

"The first thing we're going to do is get a list of the spells you want to learn. We can teach you quite a bit, and if we don't already know it, we'll try to learn it," Neville was saying. Ginny had walked over to a shelf and grabbed a stack of parchment and quills that I hadn't noticed.

"These are all self-inking," she explained as she passed them out. "Just right down spells you have trouble with or want to learn. Put your year in the top, right corner. We don't need your names, just your years, because next class we're splitting you up by years, unless, of course, this meeting proves that you don't have good enough control and/or aim for that."

For the next few minutes, the only noise was the sound of quills scratching on the paper. Then, apparently Harry and Ron got bored, just like they must have while they were setting up the room before any of us had arrived. However, before anything could happen because of their boredom, the last student handed in their parchment of spells.

"Alright! Now, today we will be using a spell that most of you, if not all of you, know. This will help us gauge your aim and control. Now, pair up, and practice the Disarming Charm," Harry said. There were several groans and moans from various corners of the room.

"How about we make a deal?" Harry continued, ignoring the noise. Almost everyone looked up, interested. "We were going to make the next meeting for next week this time. However, if you all do a good job today, we can make the next meeting tomorrow, and you can start learning some of the things you wrote down." This was met a bit more agreeably, although there were still some sounds of displeasure at having to learn such an elementary spell.

We spent quite some time trying to do the spell. It wasn't as easy as most of us liked to think. Granted, it wasn't very hard, either, but still… While we were doing that, the 'teachers' were walking through the room, correcting stance and how they were holding their wands.

"So," Regulus Black said after the six teachers had declared the meeting over. "Can you duel?" He had obviously heard about the duel in our Defense Against the Dark Arts class, he just wanted to see it for himself.

"Muggle or wizard?" Harry asked. Regulus looked disgusted that he had even suggested muggle. "Yes, we can all duel."

"How well?" he pressed.

"I'm quite confident that the six of us could take on all of you," Harry said calmly. "And if I weren't positively terrified about the repercussions from Madame Pomfry, we would."

"What makes you so confident?" Amos Diggory asked, somewhat cocky. I really couldn't blame him. I was wondering the exact same thing. After all, we outnumbered them about 30 to six.

"You mean the fact that we have been taught to duel by some of the best, while most of you haven't really been taught at all?" Harry asked. Amos and Regulus nodded, then looked disgusted that they had agreed with each other. "Well, there's the fact that the Gryffindors and Slytherins, or, more to the point, James, Sirius, Remus, Severus, and Regulus, wouldn't get along well enough to work together, where we do. There's also the fact that there are some curses that most of you would hesitate to use, simply because they are classified as 'dark.' I hate to break it to you, but dark doesn't mean evil, it just means that it's more often used for evil. Actually, spells most people consider light could be, too, they just take more creativity."

"Alright, I see your point," Amos conceded. "But how can, say, the Levitation charm be used for evil?" The six at the front of the room seemed to think for a moment. Then, a sinister smirk appeared on all of their faces.

"_Wingardium_ _Leviosa_!" Ron, Felicia, Ginny, Laura, and Neville called. All but Ginny hit the swords and daggers nearby. Ginny hit Amos, causing him to float high above our heads. All of the knives came flying towards him. Amos was absolutely terrified. He was completely sure he was about to be killed. Suddenly, however, a red light shot out in front of him. The knives clattered harmlessly to the floor.

"That is how that spell can be lethal, even if some wouldn't call that necessarily evil," Ginny said. "Now, same time tomorrow." With a wave of her wand, all of the knives went back to their places.

The next day started out find. However, after the post owls came at breakfast, it was a different story.

"The Dementors have left Azkaban!" Alice exclaimed, reading her copy of the Daily Prophet. The rest of the day, nothing else was talked about. Everyone was absolutely terrified. Even though the paper didn't come right out and say it, it was obvious the Dementors had joined You-Know-Who. When we reached the dueling room, we saw it had affected our teachers, too.

"Today, there's going to be a little change of plans," Ron started.

"Not more Disarming Charms," someone groaned.

"Not unless you want to," Ginny grinned. "I'm sure you'll think this spell is much more useful. Although, it's also much, much more difficult, and really wouldn't be used much if certain events hadn't taken place. Does anyone know what spell I'm talking about?" Ginny asked. Remus, Severus, and I raised our hands. "Lily?"

"That Patronus Charm," I said tentatively.

"Very good," Felicia grinned. "Now, this spell is well above OWL levels. In fact, I believe Harry performed it for extra credit on his OWL exam." Harry grinned. "We really don't expect you to get it first try, or even today, especially you younger ones, seeing as you haven't even heard of it."

"You have to think of your happiest memory," Harry continued. He waited a few moments for us to think of one. "Then speak the incantation, _'Expecto Patronum_.' Don't forget about the happy memory! Anytime your ready, go ahead and cast the spell."

We tried and tried, and just for good measure, tried some more. After that, we tried again. By the end of the lesson, almost everyone from fifth year or above could at least get white mist to come out of their wands. A few third and fourth years, and even a lone second year also managed to get mist.

"Now," Harry said at the end of the meeting. "We have a parchment for you to sign, signifying that you have signed up for this club. The poster on the door will remain there. Throughout the year, others may be able to see it, or decide that they want to join. They can approach anyone who adds their name to the list, because they will glow a soft pink to those looking for it. You will not be able to talk about the club with anyone who doesn't ask you first. It's also charmed with a memory charm that will make anyone you have already told forget, and if you leave this room without your name on the parchment, you will forget as well, and not be able to see the poster anymore. I'm sure some of you are thinking that these measures are a little extreme; don't forget that I was raised to fight dark wizards, particularly Voldemort, and know almost exactly what I'm doing, especially when it comes to this type of situation, meaning a Defense club. Now, I'm sure some of you want to know what a real Patronus looks like before we start packing up. _Expecto_ _Patronum_!" A large silver stag burst from his wand, and started walking among the students.

"Wow," several gasped.

"Where did you learn to do that?" I asked.

"My third year Defense professor," Harry shrugged. "It never completely worked when he was trying to teach me, and didn't work until people I cared greatly about were attacked by a lot of Dementors."

"Who was attacked?" a boy in the back called out.

"That's not important," Harry said, a sad look in his eye. His friends noticed this, as well as a few others in the room.

"Meeting's over. Sign the parchment on your way out," Ron said. Everyone started filing out the doors.

Alice and I glanced at each other before signing the parchment and leaving the room. No matter what it took, we were going to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Author's Note: Well, how did you like it? Be sure to tell me in a review! Don't forget about the romance question, either. I've had a few suggestions, which I really appreciate. Just let me know. Thanks for reviewing the last chapter, and please review again!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize. All of that belongs to JKR.

Author's Note: Been a while, huh? Sorry, really I am. If it helps, chapter 9 is almost ready to be posted. lol. I'm changing the rating to T, just to be safe. I'm not really completely sure on the rating system they use, even though I've read over what they're all supposed to mean at least twice. Anyway, on with the story...

Heart's Desire

Chapter 8

-----Sirius's Point of View-----

Wow. I couldn't believe that Harry could produce a fully corporal Patronus. From what I've heard, only Aurors and member of the Order of the Phoenix can do that. And to do it in his third year, against tons of Dementors… Wait. Why does it look like Prongs?

I glanced over at James and Remus. They seemed to be having the same thoughts I was. We silently agreed to hang around after the meeting to talk to Harry and the others. After signing the piece of parchment, we walked forward.

"That was amazing!" I blurted out when it was only the three of us, the six of them, and Lily and Alice left.

"Thanks," Harry said, trying not to blush

"Just where did you learn to do that?" James asked.

"I already told you, my third year Defense professor," Harry said.

"But only Aurors can perform that spell!" Lily exclaimed. "Was he an Auror?" she asked as an afterthought.

"No, he wasn't," Harry said. "It's late, we should be going."

"You're not going to avoid us that easy," Alice sad, amused.

"He's right, it's after ten," Felicia said, trying not to grin.

"Oh," was all Alice could say in response.

"Just sign the parchment on your way out," Ron grinned.

"What's with all the secrecy?" Remus asked.

"Well, we wouldn't want to be training people who are going to continually fight against us, now are we?" Ginny asked, as if it were obvious. "It just wouldn't do to let, say, Lucius Malfoy in here, teach him everything we know, and then let him continue being a Death Eater."

"So why did you let Slytherins in?" I asked before remembering that Harry was, in fact, a Slytherin. "No offense intended, of course," I added hurriedly. Harry smirked.

"None taken, I guess," he replied. "You know how we were talking about the poster suddenly becoming visible?"

"Yes," I said slowly.

"It's charmed so that only people who won't spend their entire life fighting with Voldemort can read it. Actually, I should say that it's charmed so only people who will die on the side of the Light, or at the very least against the Dark, will be able to read it."

"So what about Peter?" Remus asked, alarmed.

"I have no idea," Harry said simply. He was lying. It was quite obvious from the look he got in his eye.

"You're lying," I said. Everyone else stared at me. Apparently, they hadn't noticed.

"It's late," Felicia said, glancing at her watch. "Lets go." The six walked towards the door, leaving it open for us. We glanced at each other, and then hurried outside. None of them were in sight.

"How did they do that?" I wondered out loud. Everyone seemed to ignore me.

"We are going to get in so much trouble," Lily was agonizing. I didn't see what the problem was. We were only out after curfew. The worst we could get was a detention. Oh yeah. She had never had one before.

James glanced at Remus and I. We glanced at each other.

"Go ahead. Take them to the common room; we'll be fine," Remus shrugged. I nodded. We headed off in the direction of the secret passage that led to the Gryffindor common room. It came out right behind the portrait of Godric Gryffindor himself. We could hear James showing Lily and Alice the Invisibility cloak. I could practically hear their thoughts. Lily's was something along the lines of 'No _wonder_ they can pull all those pranks!' Alice was thinking, 'Where are they going? The common room is _that_ way!' James was definitely thinking about how close he would be to Lily throughout all of this. I couldn't help but grin.

"So what do you think of the new students?" I asked Remus as we neared the passageway.

"_Something_ is off about them," Remus said slowly. "Like how could Harry become invisible at will, like he did in the hospital wing? The others transformed, but he became invisible. If it's a cloak, why didn't he share? Ron and Felicia both turn into small enough animals. How did they know that Transfiguration trick? I've never heard of it, none of the 7th years I asked had heard of it, and every time we play a prank, McGonagall and Dumbledore are stuck just like everyone else. And they're Transfiguration Masters! That duel in Defense Against the Dark Arts was amazing, well above Auror level, even, because Moody is one of the best there is! Where did they learn that? I bet Harry could even beat Dumbledore! I heard one of the Headmistress portraits tell another that Moody offered them all positions as Aurors as soon as he had talked to Dumbledore. Most people would kill for that opportunity! They turned it down! They can all produce fully corporal Patronuses, and apparently have been able to for a while. Harry has been able to for three years. To top it off, his Patronus form is _Prongs_! And then, from what I've heard, they got a letter yesterday morning that made even Dumbledore scared!"

"How did you figure all that out? I mean, I knew the stuff I was there for, like the Patronus, but the rest of it…," I trailed off, amazed at how much more observant Remus is than I am. We stopped in front of the tapestry that hid the portrait that hid the passage.

"Well, I have no doubt that Mr. Lupin is quite a bit more observant," Dumbledore said from behind us. We both turned, shocked. Neither of us had heard him approach. "And I also have no doubt that you will be told all you need to know when the time is right. At the moment, however, I believe it is after curfew, and that you need to get back to Gryffindor Tower. Good night." With that, he turned and walked off. Remus and I glanced at each other.

"We better hurry up," Remus said, giving the password to the portrait behind the tapestry. We walked in silence the rest of the way, until it was time to give the Gryffindor Tower password to the portrait of Gryffindor. We figured that this had originally been the only way into the castle, but it was either too hard to find or students had trouble remembering both passwords. Why else would the passage lead from an ordinary corridor to here?

"Did you have a good time?" I asked James, dropping into an armchair beside him. He still looked as if he were in shock about something. Well, not something. In shock about the fact that he had been so close to Lily.

"It was fine," he said.

"That's nice. Now, we have some important matters to discuss. Is Peter back yet?" Remus asked.

"I don't know. I haven't been up to the dorms yet," James answered, staring into the fire.

"Well, lets go see. We can't exactly sit here in the common room and discuss this, now can we?" Remus said logically.

"We can't discuss it in the dorm, either. Ron and Neville will more than likely be up there," I pointed out. "Do any of you believe what they said about the parchment? You know, about it being charmed so that only people who wouldn't die for You-Know-Who could read it?"

"I don't buy it," Remus said immediately. "I mean seriously, what spell is there that would know the future like that?"

"Maybe it's not their future," a voice said from the shadows. Lily stepped forward. Funny, James hadn't said that she had gone upstairs. Maybe she just came back down.

"Yeah, right," James said, rolling his eyes. "How could it not be their future?"

"Well, maybe they're going into hiding after this year. I'm sure you've all heard the rumors that they turned down the chance to be Aurors. Maybe it's because they won't be around. The town they're from sounds pretty restrictive. In fact, I'm kinda surprised that they even left it."

"They said You-Know-Who had infiltrated the security there," Remus said, almost distractedly.

"So? Why didn't they just set up new wards? It seems like the kind of place where it would be hard to get a spy. Anyway, if the teenagers are all trained like those six are, imagine how the adults would be trained! If anything, they're putting them back by making them go to Hogwarts! They're way above even our 7th years!" Lily exclaimed, dropping onto the couch next to James.

"Forget 7th year. They know at least one more thing about Transfiguration that apparently McGonagall and Dumbledore don't," I said. Lily looked at me in shock.

"What do you mean?" We explained about the prank war, and the prank we had tried to pull on them. "How long was it supposed to last?" she asked.

"All day. But they ate something that turned them into bright yellow canaries, and about a minute later they were back to normal. Or as normal as they ever get," I answered, thinking of the necklace Laura had made from the feathers. "They said something about similar Transfiguration charms canceling each other out, or that the second one went over the first one, so it only lasted as long as the last one cast."

"I had never heard that before," Lily said, puzzled. "And I've talked to McGonagall I don't know how much, first trying to figure Transfiguration out, and then trying to figure a way out of your pranks."

"We aim to please," James said offhandedly. I don't know if he had registered the fact that Lily was sitting so close to him, as he was still staring into the fire. Of course, maybe he had registered the fact and just didn't want to be caught staring. I, myself personally, wanted to ponder this line of thought some more, but Remus decided to interrupt.

"Maybe this will look clearer in the morning," Remus said, standing up and stretching, causing his back to crack. "I, for one, am exhausted. I guess that comes from using all of that magic at the meeting." Remus started up the stairs, and I decided I had nothing better to do. I left Lily and James sitting in the common room, staring at an almost extinguished fire.

-----Luna's Point of View-----

"Do we _have_ to do this?" Ginny puffed. Harry simply nodded. We were running around the lake. Again. We hadn't done this since the day before we got sent back in time. We were all a little rusty.

"We're almost done," I told her consolingly. Really, only half a lap to go…a quarter…we're done.

"Now what?" Ron asked. He wasn't out of breath at all. Neither was Harry. Of course, I suspect they've worked out a little more since we got here. At the very least, they've gone flying. I have no doubt, though, that Harry's been out here every morning.

"Are we done now?" Ginny asked, glaring at Harry. He smirked.

"Unless you want to duel. If not, your more than welcome to go back inside," he grinned. He knew for a fact that Ginny would never turn down a chance to duel, no matter if it was with swords or wands or just about anything else. She still wasn't very good with guns, though. Of course, that was just practice, or lack thereof.

"Of course I want to duel!" Ginny exclaimed excitedly. "How?"

"Just wands," Ron said hurriedly. He didn't like dueling with swords in practice. He was fairly good at them, better than most of us. That, of course, left him to duel with Harry so he could advance his skill, and Harry was _much_ better. Of course, he had trained with professional duelers for quite a while before anyone even thought of teaching the rest of us.

"Sure. Who wants to go first?" Harry questioned. Ron eagerly raised his hand, as did Ginny. Harry smirked. The last time this pair had dueled, it had been…amusing to say the least. He quickly cast a privacy and Notice-Me-Not spell around us and then conjured a large area for dueling. They had only been dueling for a short while before it became much more personal, like all their duels did. They started threatening to tell Mrs. Weasley what one or the other of them had done. We watched in amusement until Ron managed to drag up something from when Ginny was 2. We decided it was time to interfere.

"Do you want to try dueling against multiple opponents?" Hermione questioned. We all glanced at each other. None of us had really tried that before. We had dueled three on three and the like, but never one on two or anything.

"Sure!" Harry said eagerly. Eventually, we all agreed. It was agreed that Harry would go first, dueling with Hermione and Ginny. None of us really knew why Harry actually kept practicing. He was already on the same level as Voldemort, and he wouldn't be able to surpass him until he killed him, seeing as the prophesy said that Harry would be marked as Voldemort's equal, not his better. Everyone was slightly scared of how powerful Harry would be after he killed Voldemort, especially Harry. He was already Voldemort's equal, and he hadn't even gotten his magical inheritance yet! After that was factored in, plus how powerful he would really be if the prophecy wasn't in the way, plus the power he could possibly get after killing Voldemort. He had the potential to be the most powerful wizard since Merlin. He could possibly be more powerful. After all, no one who knew Merlin is still alive to compare the two.

The bell rang as they were finishing up. Harry had successfully disarmed both quite a few times, but let them get their wand back, not wanting the duel to be over already. We hurried back into the castle, not wanting to miss breakfast. We split up as soon as we entered the Great Hall.

The days continued like this, with nothing much out of the ordinary happening. Well, right up until a week before the Christmas holidays, anyway.

Author's Note: How did you like it? Don't forget to tell me in a review! hehe. Ships in this story will probably be Harry/Hermione, Ron/Luna, and Neville/Ginny. More suggestions are welcome, however, as this is definately not set in stone. It's not even typed into the computer or written on paper, so... Another reason to review! lol. Chapter 9 should be up a lot faster than this one was! Sorry for the wait. Thanks for the reviews!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Everything you recognize belongs to JKR

Author's Note: Hehe, see? A REALLY quick update! There's more action in this chapter than there has been in any of the others. Hope you enjoy!

Heart's Desire

Chapter 9

-----Harry's Point of View-----

Severus and I were sitting in the library about a week before Christmas break when, out of the blue, he asked, "What are you doing for Christmas?" I shrugged.

"Probably staying here. Why?"

"You and your sister are welcome to spend the holidays at my house."

"I'll have to check with Felicia, but otherwise I'd love to."

"What will you have to check with me?" Felicia asked. Neither boy had seen her enter the library, must less approach the table.

"Do you want to spend the holidays at Sev's house?" I asked. Or clarified. Whatever. I also ignored the death glare from Severus. It isn't nearly as scary when you're the same age.

"Sure!" she grinned. With that out of the way, we continued working on our essays.

The rest of the term flew by, and soon we were boarding the Hogwarts Express. As we arrived at Kings Cross Station, Ron pulled me aside.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" he asked, for at least the 100th time.

"We'll be fine," I answered, rolling my eyes. Again. I swear, we had went through the same routine ten times a day since Hermione and I agreed to go. It wasn't _Severus_ that Ron didn't trust, in theory, it was the rest of his family, and who might be there. Ron nodded uneasily before turning to follow the rest of our group over to where James's parents were standing. My grandparents. It hadn't really hit me until now.

"Are you alright?" Hermione whispered, startling me out of my daze.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I grinned. "Let's go."

The ride to Snape Manor was very quiet. Deathly quiet, in fact. We finally arrived at the front gates. It was definitely none to soon. As we climbed out of the car, Mrs. Snape appeared in the door.

"Did you have a nice trip?" she asked. She wore a lost look on her face, as if she didn't really know where she was or what she was doing. 'Kinda like Luna before you get to know her,' I decided. "The two of you must be the special guests for tonight," she continued, leading us into the house.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked uneasily. Apparently Ron had taken her aside a few times, too.

"Severus's initiation to the Death Eaters will be tonight. You're going to be the task."

There was a gasp from behind me. I didn't have to turn around to know it was Severus. His face was paler than I have ever seen it, including the time he got back to Headquarters over the summer after suffering through five Cruciatus Curses.

"Boy, you are very lucky your father wasn't here to see such a display. Those two didn't flinch, and they're _mudbloods_, not to mention facing extreme pain and death."

"Is there any other kind of death?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"_Crucio_!" she said coldly. "You should have learned to hold your tongue."

I watched the curse come speeding towards me. I'm sure that, from my expression, Mrs. Snape thought I didn't know what it did. I decided to play towards that aspect. When it hit me, I instantly fell to the floor, writhing in pain, although I really couldn't feel it. After all, it makes most people at least twinge, right?

Mrs. Snape laughed, lifting the curse. She left the three of us in the hallway, still laughing as if she had gone insane. She sounded a little like what I always thought Bellatrix Lestrange must have sounded like when she tortured people.

"She's gone," Hermione said once she was sure Mrs. Snape was out of hearing distance.

"Well, lets get going," I said, standing up. Severus had quite a few emotions playing across his face, the least of which most certainly weren't shock and fear.

"Where?" he asked, glancing around as if afraid one of his parents would jump out from somewhere.

"To somewhere we can put our trunks. Never mind. We'll shrink them. It'll make getting away easier," I said as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

"You mean we aren't going to leave?" Severus asked, wide-eyed.

"I would assume the exits are warded," Hermione responded. She stalked over to the door, eyeing it warily. She apparently decided there wasn't anything dangerous on it, because she turned the knob. When that didn't work, she tried a few unlocking charms. None of those worked either. "See, no escape. We might as well be comfortable."

"You're certainly taking this awfully calmly," one of the portraits remarked. The three turned, not having noticed them before. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were a direct descendant of Gryffindor. The man always did have more courage than sense."

"Did you know him?" Harry asked incredulously. "And, just out of curiosity, who are?"

"I'm not old enough to know him when he was alive, thank you _very_ much. I've talked with his portrait; I'm basing it off the stories he likes to tell. I believe he once faced a basilisk to save one of his friends. His direct descendants are the Potter family."

I found this hilarious. I did have enough reserve, however, to not laugh out loud. Hermione was practically rolling on the floor. Some control _she _has.

"Thanks for the information," I grinned. "We really should be going, though."

"Not planning on hiding, are you?" the portrait asked.

"Not really," I replied.

"Good, good, take it like a man, I always say," another portrait chimed in. This one had obviously been beheaded.

"You aughta know," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "Can we go? I'd rather not stand in the hallway."

"Sure," Severus said, eyeing us as if he really wanted to take us to the Closed Ward at St. Mungo's, but was stopped only by the warded doors.

We spent the rest of the evening in Severus's room, awaiting the summons to join the adults downstairs. Severus was summoned first. He left looking deathly pale.

"We need to do some new glamours, or Voldemort will see through us in a second," I said to Hermione. She nodded, and automatically straightened and lightened her hair. I made mine lay down a little flatter, and made my eyes a less vivid shade of green. Then, we were summoned.

We walked downstairs, trying to look as scared and insignificant as possible. For Hermione, it was no hard task. I, however, was tempted to start firing curses at Voldemort as soon as I got in the door. I knew, however, that Hermione and I were greatly outnumbered, and most probably wouldn't make it out alive.

"About time you decided to make your appearance," someone snarled as we walked in. Glancing up, I saw a Voldemort that looked much more like his sixteen-year-old self than the one I was used to. I noticed the one from my time off to the side, surrounded by whom I assumed to be the Death Eaters who had traveled back with him. Yup, they were. I could see **Wormtail's** silver hand.

I bit back a response, and tried to look appropriately fearful. Really, that Voldemort wasn't too bad. After all, I _can_ beat **Dumbledore**, who has done nothing but grow in power. If he has always been a fairly even match for Voldemort, I don't really have too much to worry about with this one. It's the one that's skulking in the shadows that I'm worried about. Next to me, Hermione was trembling. I keep telling her that if she acts like she can definitely do a spell before she tries, her power will increase much faster. That's how mine's increased so fast. That's partly why Voldemort is so strong. Of course, you can do it the hard way, like Dumbledore, believing that you have to have a significant amount of power already to be able to perform a spell.

"It's time for the initiation to begin," Voldemort snarled. "Step forward." Severus did, too afraid to protest. "Hold out your arm. _Mordsmorde_!" Slowly, before our very eyes, the Dark Mark etched itself on Severus's arm. His face was visibly screwed up against the pain, but he knew as well as Hermione and I that if any noise was made, it only went on longer. Unfortunately, it looked as if he were going to break. Suddenly, I got an idea.

Moving slowly to not attract unnecessary attention, which probably wasn't necessary as everyone who wasn't in on the plan was either a Death Eater watching their favorite sport or being the sport, I moved so that I could use Legilimency on Severus.

'Send me part of the pain,' I sent. He looked up, shocked to hear someone talking inside his head. I'm sure he thought he was going insane. 'Seriously, send as much of it as you can.'

'Why?' he broke off with a scream.

'That's why.'

'Fine.' With that, he pushed as much of what he was feeling through the link. Now, I had all kinds of left over pain I needed an outlet for.

Most people would have been on their knees in pain from just the little bit I was getting. It was a sign of the will power of the members of the Death Eaters that they could all stand there. It was only the fact that I had become immune to the Cruciatus Curse, and, in turn, most pain, over the summer that I was able to stand it.

In an obsolete text Hermione had found in the Black library, it said that, if exposed to the Unforgivables enough, you would become immune to them. That didn't mean that you could sit under the Cruciatus for an hour and become immune; you'd just be insane. It meant that if you're under it briefly once a day, your pain tolerance will build up. Eventually, you just couldn't feel it anymore. The only thing that might possibly hurt was another Killing Curse. We hadn't got a chance to test that, for as willing as **Snape** is to throw Cruciatus at me, he refuses to use the Killing Curse. I am immune, though. At least if the book is correct. Since I had enough power to survive it the first time, it wouldn't matter if I were a squib the next time I'm hit, I'll survive.

"I must say I'm very impressed," Voldemort was hissing at Severus. "Even, or maybe I should say especially, with your father's glowing approval, I never expected you to last this long." He waited for Severus to say something. "Answer me when I talk to you!"

'Tell him yes, master,' I hissed through the link. Severus repeated it out loud. Voldemort seemed pleased.

"You have trained him well," he said, turning to Mr. Snape, who I actually hadn't noticed before now.

"Of course I have," Mr. Snape had the nerve to say back. _That_ was going to cost him.

"_Crucio_!" Voldemort hissed. "I don't appreciate back talk." Mr. Snape was on the floor, howling in seconds. He obviously hadn't taken the Dark Mark.

My eyes flickered around the room. How the hell were the three of us supposed to get out of here with Severus still having enough standing to be able to become a spy?

"You," Voldemort snarled, turning back to Severus. "Perform your initiation. Kill your friends."

'Hermione, we've got to get out of here,' I sent through our bond.

'No shit, Harry. How?'

'We duel. Then, after we've stunned Severus, we run out the door, casting as many jinxes to get in their way as we can get out. After we get out the door, we disillusion ourselves, and slam the front door. If any are chasing, which most probably will be, they'll run that way. Then we can sneak back in and grab him. After we get to Hogwarts, we write a note and alter it so it's in his handwriting. We explain that he didn't want to go back to Hogwarts, but we practically kidnapped him. Of course, he'll have to be conscious enough to sign it, as that part can't be altered by a charm.' Hermione nodded slightly just as I was hit with a spell. It was the Imperious Curse. From **Voldemort's **wand.

Shit. This did make things just a little more difficult. I scanned the room. There sat Severus, bound and gagged. Now how the _hell_ did I miss that? I ignored Voldemort's orders to kill Hermione, making everyone but Hermione surprised that the curse hadn't worked. What can I say, there's no way to fake killing someone.

"Well, well, well, that one sure is strong," Voldemort said, sounding pleased. It was _not_ a pleasant sound. He still had his wand pointed at Severus. This was definitely getting confusing.

"You have no idea just how powerful," a voice hissed from the corner. The same voice that had sent the Imperious curse at me; an all-to-familiar voice. **Voldemort** stepped from the shadows and threw off his mask. "_Finite Incantatuem_!" It was like cold water had been poured on me as all of my facial features moved to how they were supposed to be. "Potter, it's so nice you could join us."

"The pleasure's all yours."

-----Severus's Point of View-----

Fuck. Yes, I do believe that accurately describes the current situation.

The pain from the Mark ended. Well, it still hurt. A lot. But it was less than what it had hurt.

"I must say I'm very impressed. Even, or should I say especially, with your father's glowing approval, I never expected you to last this long." He was waiting for something. "Answer me when I talk to you!" Oh, so _that's_ what he was waiting for.

'Tell him yes, master,' Harry sent through the link he had formed.

"Yes, master," I repeated.

"You have trained him well," he said, turning to my father.

"Of course I have," he replied.

"_Crucio_!" Voldemort hissed. "I don't appreciate back talk." My father was on the floor almost before the curse hit, howling in pain.

"You," Voldemort snarled, turning back to me. "Perform your initiation. Kill your friends."

I turned to face them, my wand raised. Neither was paying any attention to me. I hesitated. This was the absolute last thing I wanted to do. This was the first time I had real friends, not just friends because of my name, gold, or social status. I hesitated too long.

The next thing I knew, I was bound and gagged on the sidelines. Voldemort was about to curse me when the Imperious curse flew from one of the Death Eaters that had been lurking in the shadows and hit Harry. He didn't seem affected at all.

"Well, well, well, that one sure is strong," Voldemort said, sounding pleased. His wand was still pointed at me.

"You have no idea just how powerful," came the voice from the corner. The most horrible looking man I had ever seen threw off his mask as he stepped forward. "_Finite Incantatuem_! Potter, it's so nice you could join us."

"The pleasure's all yours," the almost carbon copy of James Potter said. The only immediately noticeable differences were the eyes and the odd scar.

"Here to change the past, are we?" **Voldemort** sneered. What the hell was he talking about?

"For the better, I'm sure."

"I doubt that."

"I'd ask for a show of hands, but I really don't think I'd win the majority vote," Potter snarled.

"You don't seem surprised to see me here." I heard an almost inaudible intake of breath, one that would have been inaudible from anywhere else in the room.

"Of course not. You may be a genius in Legilimency; even I'll admit that. But you absolutely suck at Occlumency. I felt you arrive through my scar."

"I don't believe you! Wormtail, come forward!" I let out a gasp that went ignored as Peter Pettigrew, granted more than twenty years older than he had been the last time I had seen him, stepped forward. "Were you the one who betrayed me? Betrayal certainly seems to be your strong point."

"N-n-no my lord," Pettigrew said, seeming terrified at the very suggestion. "I have sacrificed everything to s-s-serve you. W-why would I turn back now?"

"Wouldn't you?" **Voldemort** must had seen Harry and Felicia moving out of the corner of his eye, because they were suddenly bound just like I was. He turned his attention back to **Pettigrew**, as did everyone else in the room. "After all, the boy is your last link to your former friends. Although, I must wonder if they were your friends, or if you were only an ego stroker." What on earth had **Pettigrew** done that was so bad? It must have been something absolutely terrible, judging by the look on Harry's face.

"You!" **Voldemort** snapped at another Death Eater that had been hiding in the shadows. "Why didn't you inform me of this turn of events?"

"I honestly don't recall them. This has been much different than I remember it, my lord." It was my own voice. So I was still alive in twenty years. That seemed to be better than most life expectancies. Unfortunately, I was probably going to be tortured.

"I guess you have a point. I must say, I myself remember it differently. They really are changing the future," **Voldemort** said. The last part sounded bitter. He turned to interrogate another Death Eater when the front door slammed. Everyone jumped. 'Very alert,' I thought sarcastically.

"They're gone!" one of the more astute Death Eaters exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at the ropes that had bound the pair.

"_Crucio_!" **Voldemort** snarled. "After them!" The room cleared quicker than I'd ever seen a room clear before, leaving me on the ground for obvious reasons. Suddenly, there was a hand on my shoulder. I opened my mouth to scream, but another hand covered my mouth before I could.

"Shh. I'm _trying_ to untie you, and they aren't far enough away for you to scream and them not hear you." It was Harry, apparently under an Invisibility charm. Nope, a cloak.

"Just what are you doing back here?" I hissed.

"Getting you out of here," Harry replied.

"Why aren't you running a few steps ahead of the Death Eaters?"

"Because 'Mione and I hadn't left yet. We just opened the door and created a wind." He finally had me out of the ropes, and handed me my wand.

"Don't you need your wand?" I asked, looking at him in slight shock. He shook his head.

"It's in my trunk, where it can't get taken away."

"Then how did you get out of the ropes? And make the door slam closed without touching it?"

"Wandless magic," Harry replied simply.

"Are you two about done? Voldemort isn't going to follow a fake trail for long," Felicia said, entering the room. "Crabbe and Goyle are guarding the door."

"That's almost insulting," Harry said, off-handedly. A pain shot through my arm where the Dark Mark was now etched into my skin. I flinched, which is understandable when your arm feels like someone is carving a large chunk of skin out of it.

"The pain charm wore off," Felicia muttered. She hurriedly ran her hand over the Dark Mark, and instantly the pain disappeared.

"How did you do that?" I asked. At the exact same moment, Harry said, "I didn't know you could do that."

"What, did you think you were the only one who could do wandless magic?" Felicia asked innocently.

"From that distance," Harry shrugged.

"You really should be getting out of here," a voice said. I glanced up. It was **me **again. Goodness that's a weird thing to think.

"Yeah, I know. We're going," Harry said, somewhat distractedly.

"Well hurry. The Dark Lord is coming back, fully aware that you tricked him. He is _not_ happy, to say the least."

"I take it that's an understatement. Alright, lets go," Harry said. He nodded to Felicia, before they both grabbed my arms, pulling me out of the room after them. Instead of going out the door, however, we went up the stairs.

"Just why are we going this way?" I hissed.

"Because there are guards the other way," Felicia pointed out.

"And even if they are only Crabbe and Goyle, the rest are coming back soon. Besides, we need to get your stuff. You'll have to have your broom so we can get out of here. Yes, 'Mione, you have to fly," Harry said, not even needing to look at 'Mione' to know she was pouting.

"'Mione?" I questioned.

"We'll explain later," she said, smiling apologetically. "We're going to have a long flight." She didn't look very happy at all at the thought of that prospect.

Finally we reached my room. While Harry was digging through his newly enlarged trunk, 'Felicia' and I were going through mine, searching for my broom. We finally found it at the bottom, at the same time that Harry emerged from his, clutching another two.

"Well, lets go," he said after both trunks had been shrunk. He vanished the window, and we each kicked off, shooting through the now open space.

Author's Note: Well, how did you like it? Now that you've been spoiled,it will probably take me a while to update chapter 10, simply because, while I have an idea for what is to happen, I don't have anything written. Review, and tell me how you liked it!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.

Author's Note: Well, here's another chapter! Thank you to all who reviewed the last one! Goodness, my muses for this story just took hold, and I haven't been able to work on anything else! Maybe it's finally out of my system for a bit... Here it is, chapter 10...

Heart's Desire

Chapter 10

-----Hermione's Point of View-----

This most definitely was _not_ a good idea. To start out with, it was absolutely _freezing_. Then, I had to ride a broom. Honestly. And, since Harry didn't really trust anyone with his Firebolt, I was stuck riding the much faster broom, Firebolt Unleashed. This really wasn't fair. Of course, I could quit whining to myself about unimportant things and think about the fact that we were quite likely to get hexed out of the air if we didn't do this right, but reality sucks at the moment, so I don't think I'll think about that.

Harry was scanning the ground as best he could. "Just how many magical things _are_ there around here?" he asked Severus, who only shrugged. So Harry was using the charm to see magical auras. And Severus was probably in shock. "Just who is that?" Harry said, almost to himself.

"What do you mean?" I asked, flying up beside him.

"There's an aura down there that's too weak to be **Voldemort's**, but it's too strong to be Voldemort's from this time. I don't think it's a magical creature; they usually have a more earthy tone. I'm going to get a closer look." He disillusioned himself as he said this, and I could hear him pulling out his Invisibility Cloak. "Wait here. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"You're going to get yourself killed!" I hissed in the direction of the spot where his voice had last come from. I saw Severus nod out of the corner of my eye.

"Unlikely," Harry responded. "Unless I've been severely underestimating the Voldemort of this time. Of course, it might still not work, as he hasn't marked me yet. How about you figure that out until I get back?" I could hear him swoop downward. We waited nervously for about five minutes.

"It's someone I've never even heard of before," Harry said as he took off the cloak and the spell. "Someone named Bernard Taylor."

"I've heard of him," I said, my eyes going wide. "He was second in command during Voldemort's first reign. Some people think he was the one actually in charge, and that Tom Riddle was just used as a figurehead. Most of them think he was actually Grindlewald, and that Dumbledore didn't kill him like everyone thought. Whoever he was, it took four members of the Order of the Phoenix to bring him down and kill him."

"When did that happen?" Harry asked. For all the emotion he showed, he could have been asking about the weather.

"Right before Voldemort started a series of stupid battles, that always ended with him losing, the last of which resulted in his downfall."

"So, is that man more muscle than Voldemort realized, or he was he more of an advisor? Or possibly even both?" Harry asked thoughtfully. He was watching the blurs of color only he could see again. "Shit," he said suddenly. "They apparated."

"I wonder where," I said. At that moment, the galleon in my pocket burned. The same one that Harry had given us as a DA signal, and that the six of us still used to call for help. "I guess that answers that question."

Harry was digging in the pockets of his robe. Suddenly, he pulled out what looked like an ordinary mirror. "Ronald Weasley," he said clearly, ignoring Severus's look of shock.

"About time," I heard Ron say.

"Just how many are there?" Harry asked, ignoring the comment.

"Enough that we'd feel more comfortable if you were here," Ron answered. There was the sound of an explosion.

"Can you get them out of there?" Harry asked, already knowing the answer.

"We can get four of them out," Ron responded. He was, of course, referring to the safe-stones we had. They could only transport two people at a time, and we didn't like to use them, because it took so much power to make them that it would leave all six of us exhausted.

"'Mione, you and Sev fly to Hogwarts. I'll go over to help. Ron, step back so I can see the room."

"Harry, mate, there are Anti-Apparition charms," Ron said as if speaking to a two-year-old.

"Ron, mate, I've got to know where your at so I can get through with the coin," Harry replied in much the same tone.

"Right," I heard Ron mutter. Apparently he moved, because Harry soon turned to me.

"'Mione, you know what to do. Can I have your stone?" I nodded, digging into my pocket. "Ron, I'm coming."

"Alright. Hurry," Ron said before closing the connection.

"You know what to do," Harry said to me. He disappeared, signifying that he had changed to his animagus form. With a soft pop, he disappeared.

"Just where did he go?" Severus asked, shocked. Now, granted, that seemed to be his main feeling today, so it wasn't that big of a change.

"I would assume to help Ron and the others. He has a bit of a saving people thing," I shrugged. "Can we keep moving? With the amount of skill I have on a broom, it's only a matter of time until I fall off." Severus nodded somewhat absently.

We flew for what seemed like quite some time, but was really only a few minutes. "Do you have any questions?" I asked hesitantly. Severus looked up, an odd gleam in his eye. It was a gleam _I_ had never seen, but I believe Harry and Ron had some experience with it. It was the same one I get when I have a wealth of information ready for my asking. This was going to be a _long_ trip…

-----Ron's Point of View-----

Crap. We are so royally screwed. I just hope that the Death Eaters pounding on the door mean that Mr. and Mrs. Potter are tied up somewhere, not that they're dead.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. "'Bout time you got here," I hissed, knowing it was Harry. Ginny, Luna, and Neville knew who I was talking to, but the Marauders probably thought I had finally went insane.

"Get the others out," Harry sent through the link. "Ron, you come with me." I felt him move, and saw Ginny's surprised look as something fell into her hand. It was Hermione's emergency stone.

"Where do you think your parents are?" I asked James, after a prodding from Harry.

"I've no idea," James managed to sputter out, white as a sheet. He was leaning heavily on Sirius who, while acting as a crutch, was also trying to reassure James that yes, his parents would make it. I glanced at James's leg, or what you could see of it through all the blood that was gushing out. He had been hit by one of the first curses the Death Eaters had thrown before we had been herded into this room. I had no idea what the curse was; hopefully Madame Pomfrey did.

"You need to get out of here," Harry said, changing out of his animagus form, successfully startling the Marauders. Ginny, after glancing around, walked over to Remus, who seemed to be the calmest of all the Marauders, and started explaining the stones. He nodded as Harry walked over to the door.

"Can you break the locking spell?" Remus asked. "None of us had any idea what spell was used."

"No wonder. It's a spell that's not exactly on the Hogwarts curriculum," Harry said calmly. "It's a Dark Arts spell. Anyone who touches the door on the side it was locked on loses their magic for a brief period, and it can't be magically unlocked from the other side."

"So how the _hell_ are we supposed to get out?" Sirius questioned. The voices on the other side of the door were apparently grating on his nerves.

"_You_ are going to go with one of them," Harry said, motioning to Neville, Ginny, and Luna. "Ron and I will wait for them to either break the door down or be smart enough to figure out the counter curse."

"We should leave now," Neville said, eyeing the amount of blood James was losing. It must have been a Reducto that hit him. Those things, if they hit in the right places, would kill you. They wouldn't kill you because they had blown apart something major; after all, there _are_ some organs you can live without, or with just one of. However, all the blood veins in the area being simultaneously blown apart did tend to have an adverse effect.

"Good idea," Harry said, listening to the Death Eaters outside get steadily louder.

"Are you all complete idiots?" we heard outside the door. It was Lucius Malfoy. Unfortunately, we couldn't tell which one.

"Get _out_!" Harry hissed at the others. Remus quickly activated his and disappeared. Ginny and a trembling Pettigrew quickly followed. Neville had to practically stun Sirius before he would leave James, even knowing that Luna would be following them. I hurriedly disillusioned myself, and Harry changed forms just as Malfoy said the counter spell. We made it to either side of the door just as it burst open.

"They aren't _here_," **Malfoy** hissed, glaring around the room before turning to glare at the Death Eaters who were still pouring into the room. "You had seven of the people our lord wants the most trapped in a room they weren't supposed to be able to get out of, and yet they got away?" Harry and I glanced at each other. Well, I think we did. We couldn't see each other any more than the Death Eaters could see us.

I wished I had learned to Apparate under wards. Of course, when we were learning how, it seemed useless as Hogwarts was the only place actually under anti-apparition wards constantly; it took supreme power to hold them up, and Death Eaters just didn't have the man power to deal with that in our time. "Lets go back to the senior Potters." The other Death Eaters nodded, following **Malfoy** back out of the room, just as they had followed him in. There was little more Harry and I could do than follow, stunning the Death Eaters nearest the back of the group.

"What a pity," I recognized **Wormtail's** voice saying as Harry and I slipped into the dining room, leaving 10 stunned and bound Death Eaters behind us. "You're going to be tortured and killed, all for a grandson you'll never meet." Realization as to just who was speaking dawned across the Potters' faces.

"Weren't you just upstairs?" Mr. Potter asked, trying to stall for time.

"That was my younger self," **Wormtail** said, falling for the ploy. Unfortunately, **Malfoy** didn't.

"That is none of their concern, now is it? We'll have plenty of time to taunt them with just what will happen without them _Crucio_!" Two voices filled the air, screaming themselves hoarse while the Death Eaters laughed appreciatively.

"Are you ready?" Harry asked through the link. I nodded before realizing he couldn't see me.

"Yes," I answered.

"Alright. On the count of three, start casting spells, but stay invisible. Keep moving so they can't pinpoint your location. I'm going to change back. 1...2...3!"

"_Stupefy_!" I whispered, hitting the nearest Death Eater. Harry and I worked our way through the back eight, stunning and binding them, leaving only **Wormtail** and **Malfoy**.

"Take off the charm," Harry said, still communicating through the link. **Pettigrew** was just lifting his wand to throw yet another curse at the now bloody prisoners when we were able to intervene.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Some leaders you are," Harry smirked. Both Death Eaters froze. "Not only did you not notice when you entered with only half your army, you didn't notice when the rest of it was taken down. I'm tempted to send a note to **Voldemort** outlining your failures of the night. It would save me a lot of time."

"_Crucio_!" **Malfoy** snarled. The red light sped at Harry, hitting him full in the chest.

"Um…ow?" Harry smirked. This, for obvious reasons, made Lucius furious. He shot another, more harmful, curse at Harry, who quickly put up a shield. The duel was on.

**Lucius** was losing. Badly. **Wormtail**, seeing his chance during his duel with me, shot a Reducto curse at Harry's back. It hit, and Harry dropped like a bag of bricks. **Lucius**, seeing his opportunity, fled. **Pettigrew** wasn't that smart. He cast a binding spell on both of us. I was immediately on the floor beside Harry.

"The Dark Lord will be so pleased," he practically purred. I could feel Harry roll his eyes. Meanwhile, I was working on the ropes. My wand had been dropped, and had rolled away, so I had to do it wandlessly. That took quite a bit of concentration from any of us but Harry, who had been trained in wandless magic extensively, not just enough to escape without a wand.

"On the count of three, send them to Hogwarts," Harry sent through the link. "Then come back over here and help me. I can barely sit up straight, much less stand." I nodded, glancing at the part of Harry's back that had been hit. It was only the mounds of protections that he had practically ingrained into his skin that saved him. "1...2...3!" I dove across the room as Harry stunned **Pettigrew**, who had been about to snap our wands. As I was explaining the stone, he transformed **Pettigrew** into a rat, and then placed him in an Unbreakable glass cage. After he was in the cage, he transfigured it so it was like a glass covering. By the time he was done, he had what, for all purposes, what a rat shaped figurine. Of course, it wouldn't last long, as we couldn't transport three people with the stone, no matter what shape they were in, but it would be a nice present for **Voldemort**. The Potters disappeared as Harry finished. He was growing paler by the minute. Grabbing his arm, I activated the stone. The next instant, we were in the Hogwarts infirmary.

Ginny, Luna, Mrs. Potter, and Madame Pomfrey all gasped. Harry managed a weak smile before passing out. Madame Pomfrey luckily caught him in a levitating charm before he hit the ground, and placed him in a nearby bed.

"This is…odd, for lack of a better word," Madame Pomfrey said, studying the read-out of the spells Harry had been put under.

"Always reassuring to hear from a fully-trained mediwitch," Ginny remarked. "What, exactly, is odd?"

"This chart can't be right," Madame Pomfrey said, mostly to herself. "There's the Reducto Curse, which I expected. But, according to this, he was held under at least two Cruciartuses, for at least two minutes, and then there's a spell I have never seen before."

"May I see that?" Dumbledore asked. I jumped, not noticing him before now, although he was probably the only one who could have gotten the Marauders to leave. "Is this possible?" Dumbledore asked, eyes widening. I made a mental note to tell Harry he had surprised Dumbledore. "Has this boy survived the spell I think he has?"

"What's the spell?" I asked tiredly, the excess adrenaline from the attack starting to wear off.

"The Killing Curse," Dumbledore replied, still staring at the chart.

"It worked," Luna breathed.

"We'll have to ask Hermione to make sure," Ginny said, eyes wide.

"She's coming," I said. I had woken up a bit at the news that Harry had survived another Killing Curse.

"How do you know?" Neville asked.

"Because they were flying when I walked to them." I was almost asleep, not aware of what exactly I was saying At least that was going to be my excuse. "Even if they _are_ dating, 'Mione would never fly if she absolutely didn't have to." Uh-oh. I was in for it. I could see the gleam in Ginny's eyes.

"Finally!" she exclaimed. "They've been dancing around each other for a year and a half. 'Bout time they opened their eyes." Mr. and Mrs. Potter, not to mention Madame Pomfrey, were all wide-eyed with shock. Oh right. They still thought they were twins.

"I think we need to explain some things," Neville said. Not wanting to listen or be asked to take part, I fell asleep.

When I woke up, Hermione was back. She and Harry were curled up around each other. Neither had their glamours on. From the hair in my face, neither did I. Hermione was the first to notice I was awake.

"About time you woke up," she said, signaling to the others that I was awake.

"Have you finished your story yet?" I asked.

"Yeah. Did you expect us to wait for you?" Ginny asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yes! That's why I fell asleep! I had to gather my thoughts for the upcoming conversation!" I said, faking outrage. I must have been a pretty good actor, for Mrs. Potter and Madame Pomfrey both looked shocked.

"Too bad, so sad," Ginny shrugged. "Is that why you get such bad grades? Because you have to sleep before you can think? If so, learn to think faster." I laughed, and the others joined in, Mrs. Potter and Madame Pomfrey looking more at ease.

_This _was how we were supposed to be. We weren't supposed to be practicing to be immune to the Unforgivables. We weren't supposed to have to visit our parents in the closed ward at St. Mungo's. We weren't supposed to live with abusive relatives, or have to move from our childhood homes to safe houses. We weren't supposed to be able to do wandless magic effortlessly, or with minimal effort. We were supposed to act like kids, laughing together, never mind that we were in the hospital wing, or why we were there.

"Severus knows, just so you're forewarned," Hermione said as the laughter died down.

"Did you tell him?" I asked. I really didn't think they had, but I much preferred that to the alternative.

"No. **Voldemort** figured out who we were while the other was talking, and decided we should be revealed," Harry shrugged. He was about to say more, but was interrupted by Luna.

"Glamours back on!" she exclaimed. "The Marauders are coming!" There was a mad dash for wands, and lots of muttering and waving as the incantations were said, putting the charms back in place. Then there were questions such as "Is my hair the right shade?" and "Did I make my eyes the right color?" A hush fell over the room as a loud crash announced their arrival.

"Gees, Wormtail, keep it down. There's no need to wake the dead," we heard Sirius exclaim jokingly.

"Sorry," Wormtail replied shakily. Harry and Hermione, who were now leaning against opposite ends of the bed, and I shared a glance. Wormtail was most likely already a Death Eaters. Slowly, they pushed the door open and peaking in cautiously.

"James isn't awake yet," Harry said calmly, completely freaking the Marauders out because they thought he was reading a book. "You're more than welcome to come in, though." I saw the Potters shoot a wary glance at the door, no doubt wondering if they could act even remotely the same, knowing what they now did. The Marauders still didn't move very far inside, apparently put off by the number of people, especially adults, in the hospital wing.

"We aren't going to bite; have a seat," Neville offered, cutting Madame Pomfrey off before she had a chance to tell them to get out. She glared slightly, but apparently didn't care as much as she would have liked to let on, for she didn't say anything. They gathered around, and the conversation turned to the upcoming Quidditch match.

Author's Note: How did you like it? Tell me in a review! Again, thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer:I still don't own anything. Everything you recognize is J.K. Rowling's.

Author's Note: For those of you recieving this again, I haven't changed much, just an error on my part. Thankfully, the-dreamer4 caught it and told me about it before I could base any of the rest of the story on it. Thanks so much!

Heart's Desire

Chapter 11

-----James's Point-of-View-----

I awoke groggily to hear voices. The first one I clearly heard was Ron's.

"Even if they _are_ dating, 'Mione would never fly if she absolutely didn't have to."

"Finally!" Ginny exclaimed. "They've been dancing around each other for a year and a half. 'Bout time they opened their eyes." Who? I wondered.

"I think we need to explain some things," Neville said. "You see, it all starts with a prophecy. Well, actually, it all starts somewhere around the Founder's time, but for the sake of time, it will start with a prophecy that hasn't been given yet, but was given a long time ago where we're from."

"Don't actively try to confuse them," Ginny said. I could hear the grin in her voice. "What he's trying to dance around is that we're actually time travelers. And Harry and Felicia aren't related. In fact, her name isn't Felicia, it's Hermione. And Harry's last name definitely isn't Granger, it's Potter." Holy. Shit. I wasn't expecting that. Apparently, neither were many others, if the amount of gasps were anything to go by. "Actually, none of us told you our real names. For example, Neville's last name is really Longbottom, mine and Ron's is really Weasley. Laura's got changed completely. Her real name is Luna Lovegood."

"But enough about that," Laura…Luna interrupted. "You are probably wondering something more along the line of why six teenagers were sent back in time. It started with a prophecy."

"Actually, it started before the Founders," Neville pointed out.

"Yes, but for sanity's sake, and because we don't know the complete lineage between Salazar Slytherin and Tom Riddle, it's starting with a prophecy," Luna stated. "It stated that there was going to be a child born that would be able to defeat Voldemort. Now, this wouldn't just be any child born between the time it was given and the time it actually happened. This child would be born at the end of July, to parents who had thrice defied Voldemort, who would mark him as his equal. There were two boys who fit, Neville Longbottom and Harry Potter. No one really knows why Voldemort decided that Harry would be more of a threat, but he did, so the Potters' went into hiding with the Fidelius charm in place. Voldemort found them anyway. He killed Lily and James before trying to kill Harry. It didn't work. The Killing curse rebounded, coming close to killing Voldemort instead. Harry was sent to live with the Dursleys, and Sirius was sent to Azkaban for they're betrayal, and for killing 12 muggles and one wizard."

"Wait," Dad interrupted. "So how did-"

Neville cut him off. "We're getting to that."

Their words passed over me. I was in shock. Sirius would never betray me. I was absolutely certain of it. As I thought on this, the story was continued. I caught words like 'three-headed dog,' 'mountain troll,' and 'Philosopher's Stone,' and a bit later words like 'Chamber of Secrets' and 'basilisk.' I didn't snap out of it at all until I heard 'escaped from Azkaban,' and even then it wasn't much

Harry was the one talking now. I was paying attention enough to have figured that out.

"Well, of course we followed it into the Shrieking Shack." Wait. Followed what? And why into the Shrieking Shack? "What we didn't know was that others were following us. Sirius transformed. We didn't believe his story. But then Remus, who was the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor that year, came, and he did. Unfortunately, before he could convince us, Snape, the Potions Professor, revealed that he had heard the whole thing, he just didn't believe it. Ron, Hermione, and I stunned him, although we really tried to disarm him, just all at once. To make a long story kinda short, we found Peter, left the shack, the full moon came up, and we got attacked by Dementors. I luckily knew the Patronus charm, and was able to drive them away. However, Sirius was recaptured, and there was no evidence to actually _prove_ him innocent, because Wormtail escaped when we got out of the tunnel. As a result, Hermione and I had to go back in time to save him."

Harry kept talking, but I again tuned him out. Sirius was innocent! Will be… Is… Never mind. Peter betrayed me instead. That, as horrible as it is to say, was much more bearable. After all, Sirius is my Best Friend. Peter is a good friend and all, but… Harry was saying something about a Triwizard tournament. How would _that_ have any bearing on the future? Those were practically ancient history. Then, however, conversation switched to a graveyard. I still didn't actually pay attention, however, as I was trying to figure out if Peter was already a Death Eater. Deciding it wouldn't matter, as I already knew he was going to betray me, I started listening closer.

"…so we went to the Department of Mysteries. But it was a false vision," Harry was still speaking, and I didn't have to open my eyes to know there would be a far-off look in his, that he was reliving the moment. His voice said it all.

Harry wasn't the one who continued, however. When a voice was heard next, it was Luna's. "Some members of the Order came to rescue us. Ron, Ginny, and Hermione were already injured and incapable of much fighting by the time they burst in. Both sides were evenly matched, but we had what they wanted: the prophecy. Voldemort had never heard the entire thing, and he wanted to. Badly. Badly enough to lure Harry to the Department of Mysteries, then risk sending some of his best Death Eaters to capture him. They didn't get it, though. It broke on the steps in the Chamber of Death." The adults in the room gasped. What was the Chamber of Death? It didn't sound very good, for obvious reasons. "Sirius was dueling Bellatrix in the middle of the room. She hit him with a spell, and he fell through the veil." What veil? I had heard my dad and Dumbledore gasp, but apparently Mum and Madame Pomfrey were at as much of a loss as I was.

Dumbledore decided to explain. "The Chamber of Death was used for centuries for public execution before the lower level of the Ministry became the Department of Mysteries. It was in a convenient place, right next to the courtrooms. However, as that level became the home to the research of many branches of obscure magic, the Chamber fell into disuse. Eventually, it became home to various studies on death. The Veil of the Dead is one such study. It is thought to be the thinnest portal connecting our world to the afterlife. Legend states that if you get close enough, you can hear the voices of those long dead. However, those who get that close run a very real chance of falling through. No one actually knows what happens to those people, but, as they have never came back through, they are presumed dead."

Sirius was dead. Or as good as, at any rate. So was I, although I had been dead for a lot longer. Peter had betrayed us. Remus…he had been alive and fairly well during Harry's third year, although he hadn't mentioned him since. Presumably he was still alive.

"So," Harry continued. "We all trained last summer. About half way through the school year, the Dumbledore from our time told me that none of it should have happened, and he could send me back in time to fix it. Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna came back with me. That is the only reason we can tell you all of this. We've already changed the future. You were supposed to die tonight, but it didn't happened." The room fell into silence. Soon, however, it became overbearing. Anxious to talk about anything other than the extremely serious topics that had just been discussed, Harry and Ginny started talking about Quidditch, while Neville and Luna began discussing a rare plant. The topics hadn't changed when the door opened about thirty minutes later.

"You're back," Harry said cheerfully.

"Barely. If I ever so much as _see_ another broom, it will be too soon," Feli-_Hermione_ said.

"Well, you made it," Harry said.

"I fell off. Twice," Hermione sighed. "Finally I just said to hell with it and transformed."

The conversations continued and shifted for another fifteen minutes or so.

About time you woke up," Hermione said. Who was she talking to?

"Have you finished your story yet?" Ron asked. Oh. So that was who.

"Yeah. Did you expect us to wait for you?" Ginny asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yes! That's why I fell asleep! I had to gather my thoughts for the upcoming conversation!" Ron said, faking outrage.

"Too bad, so sad," Ginny shrugged. "Is that why you get such bad grades? Because you have to sleep before you can think? If so, learn to think faster." Everyone laughed.

"Severus knows, just so you're forewarned," Hermione said as the laughter died down.

"Did you tell him?" Ron asked. Wait. Snivellus knew _what_?

"No. **Voldemort** figured out who we were while the other was talking, and decided we should be revealed," Harry shrugged. He was about to say more, but was interrupted by Luna.

"Glamours back on!" she exclaimed. "The Marauders are coming!" There was a mad dash for wands, and lots of muttering and waving as the incantations were said, putting the charms back in place. Then there were questions such as "Is my hair the right shade?" and "Did I make my eyes the right color?" A hush fell over the room as a loud crash announced their arrival.

"Gees, Wormtail, keep it down. There's no need to wake the dead," we heard Sirius exclaim jokingly.

"Sorry," Wormtail replied shakily.

"James isn't awake yet," Harry said calmly, completely freaking the Marauders out because they thought he was reading a book. "You're more than welcome to come in, though."

"We aren't going to bite; have a seat," Neville offered, cutting Madame Pomfrey off before she had a chance to tell them to get out. She glared slightly, but apparently didn't care as much as she would have liked to let on, for she didn't say anything. They gathered around, and the conversation turned to the upcoming Quidditch match.

-----Sirius's Point-of-View-----

We had been in the hospital wing maybe five minutes when Laura turned to where James was sleeping, and said, "You might as well show you're awake. I, personally am quite impressed you lasted as long as you did, given all you've heard." James opened his eyes, looking somewhat sheepish.

"Jamie! You're awake!" I exclaimed, rushing over. James smiled, although something was off. He looked almost…sad. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," he replied. I could tell that wasn't the entire truth. Just what had he heard? His eyes said, quite plainly, that we would talk later. As I was thinking about this, Harry got a strange look on his face. His expression glazed over a moment later.

"What was wrong?" Felicia asked.

"My Legilimency shield was fractured," Harry replied.

"Isn't a Legilimency shield Occlumency?" Remus asked.

"In a way," Harry replied. "It's the counter, so yes, it's like a shield charm. My Legilimency power gets quite strong at times, however, and needs to be blocked."

"If you're that powerful now, how powerful will you be after your magical inheritance?"

"I don't really know. It could be that I've already tapped into all or most of it, and nothing much will happen. Or, it could be that, while highly unlikely, I haven't tapped into any of it. It's probably closer to the first one, that I've already tapped into the actual power, although there might be a few off-the-wall talents. I know I've tapped into it at least a bit." Remus nodded as if it all made sense. Suddenly, there was a pecking sound. We glanced over at the window, and could barely make out a small raven, black as the night.

Felicia rushed over to the window, letting the obviously exhausted bird in. Harry's eyes were wide.

"Does this mean what I think it does?" Harry asked, as if expecting the raven to answer. It shrugged. _My_ eyes widened this time. "Madame Pomfrey? May I leave for a moment? I promise I'll come back." Poor kid, thinking Madame Pomfrey would bend like that. Did that raven just snort? The raven's humanlike behavior was driven out of my mind by Madame Pomfrey's response.

"Of course, dear, just come straight back." Harry nodded. He quickly jumped off the bed, which quite impressed me, as we had heard when we came in that he had been hit in the back by a Reductor. I don't know of anyone else that could recover so quickly from such a serious injury. Harry quickly followed Madame Pomfrey through the door leading to the private rooms. I glanced over at Felicia, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Laura, but they looked every bit as confused as the rest of us.

When Harry came back, he looked completely shaken. He stared at Ron and Ginny, who nodded, although both looked positively terrified. Harry walked over to the window as if to let the raven out. Ron and Ginny followed, as if afraid Harry would collapse. However, when they got to the window, they did something quite different. They dove out. The raven glanced at Felicia and seemed to roll its eyes before following them out.

Author's Note: Thanks to those who reviewed before, and please feel free to do it again!


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